NYPD officers raiding a north Bronx home earlier this week netted eight kilos of heroin and nine loaded handguns.
The couple who lived in the home, Edwin (Armani) Cruz, 31, and Lucille Tejada, 36, were arrested in the raid. Both face felony drug possession and numerous weapons charges.
The raid came after weeks of investigation by the NYPD's Bronx gang squad. However, police told the New York Daily News that the couple were not affiliated with a gang. Instead, police say, they are part of a larger organization that distributes guns and drugs on the streets of upper Manhattan and the Bronx.
"This was a substantial bust," Dep. Chief Robert Boyce, commander of the Citywide Gang Unit, told the Daily News. "I think we put a nice dent in this operation."
The raid was executed at 8:35 a.m., and the officers caught Cruz and Tejada still sleeping. Officers found the heroin, wrapped in red cellophane, stuffed in an empty vacuum box in the living room. The handguns, described as high-quality weapons, were found in a book bag and in a drawer.
Police say Cruz has an arrest record on charges of robbery, criminal possession of a weapon, and felony possession. His parole ended in 2006. Tejada has no criminal history.
