BRONX, NY — Law enforcement agencies have seized over 100 pounds of narcotics including cocaine, crack cocaine, fentanyl, heroin, and oxycodone from Mexzzarella Pizza in the Soundview section of the Bronx. The drugs have an estimated street value of $4 million.
The bust is the result of a coordinated effort among multiple agencies: the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s New York Division, the New York City Special Narcotics Prosecutor, the New York City Police Department, the New York State Police, and the Rockland County District Attorney’s Office. The New York/New Jersey Port Authority Police Department also assisted in the investigation.
Three individuals—Gaudencio Rosendo Perez , Zulema Cardenas Espinoza, and Alexander Samboy—were arrested on October 18, 2023. They were arraigned on October 20 in Manhattan Criminal Court. Charges include Operating as a Major Trafficker and Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the First and Third Degrees. Bail for Espinoza and Samboy was set at $150,000 cash/bond, with a 72-hour surety requirement and surrender of passports.
The pizzeria is in close proximity to a public school and was instrumental in distributing cocaine throughout the northeastern United States according to Frank A. Tarentino III, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA’s New York Division.