Police: 2 men arrested following $20M narcotics seizure in Nassau County
Officials say it is one of the largest narcotics seizures in Nassau police history.
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Police say two people have been arrested and millions of dollars worth of cocaine has been seized in Nassau County.
Officials say it is one of the largest narcotics seizures in Nassau police history.
County officials say officers arrested Michael Viera, 40, and Daniel Santana, 35, last week following what they believed was a drug transaction.
Nassau police say this happened last week at the Holiday Inn on Sunnyside Boulevard in Plainview.
During the arrest, 312 kilos of cocaine was found in their vehicle, which officials say is worth more than $20 million. Officials say the cocaine was found both in the front seat and stuffed in suitcases.
"They opened up the trunk of the pickup truck, and this is what you got, 312 kilos of cocaine. This is over $20 million of street value," says Nassau Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder. "They were couriers. They must have just gotten this shipment and they were getting ready to move this shipment."
The Florida men are facing up to 20 years behind bars. They are charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance.
"We will be looking at upgrading these charges against these defendants, including the charge of operating as a major drug trafficker which carries a potential life sentence," Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly said "If you try to move drugs through this county, you won't get far."
Officials say Viera and Santana both have prior arrests from a homicide in Puerto Rico.
News 12 reached out to the attorneys for both suspects.
Santana's attorney has no comment at this time.
News 12 has not heard back yet from Viera's attorney.
