Eight people, including four alleged gang members, were rounded up Thursday after investigators seized $15,000 worth of drugs, a pair of loaded handguns and drug paraphernalia from a Greenlawn home during the execution of a search warrant, Suffolk County police said.
Detectives from multiple gang units, the Criminal Intelligence Bureau, and Narcotics Section had been conducting an investigation prior to police raiding the house at 72 Rutgers Lane. The eight people arrested in the bust ranged from 19 to 32 years old, and were all charged—at the minimum—with criminal possession of a controlled substance.
Investigators seized heroin, crack cocaine and marijuana, with an estimated street value of approximately $15,000, police said. Also discovered was a pair of loaded handguns, an electronic stun gun, cash—police didn’t say how much—digital scales and an assortment of drug packaging equipment, police said.
The four alleged gang members were identified as 25-year-old Alex Otero and 23-year-old Brian Ochsenreiter, both of whom live in house, plus 26-year-old Bruce Giles, of Huntington Station, and 20-year-old Joshua Crowell, police said. They were all charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance. Otero was also charged with criminal possession of a weapon, criminal use of drug paraphernalia and unlawful possession of marijuana. Ochsenreiter was additionally charged with unlawful possession of marijuana and petty larceny for an unrelated incident.
Another resident of the home, 19-year-old Melissa Saldarriaga, was also charged with criminal use of drug paraphernalia and unlawful possession of marijuana.
In addition, police arrested 22-year-old Christine Gatling and 26-year-old Nadine Parker, both of whom live in Brooklyn, and 32-year-old Karl Latortue of Dix Hills.
All eight are scheduled to be arraigned Friday at First District Court in Central Islip.
