MANHATTAN — Two dozen suspected crack and cocaine dealers who were arrested on the Upper West Side Wednesday morning as part of a year-long drug trafficking investigation peddled their wares out of bags marked with colorful designs including gold skulls, green dinosaurs and red lobsters.
During the investigation, police say they witnessed each of the alleged dealers make sales of cocaine or crack to undercover detectives — over 40 sales in all for a total of $2,255.
The probe, which netted 22 suspects Wednesday in the Frederick Douglass Houses, came in response to complaints of drugs and violence by members of the community, the NYPD said.
Another suspect, Steven Smith, 37, was arrested on May 17 in his apartment, where his 5-month-old son and girlfriend's 9-year-old son were.
Police say that when they entered Smith's bedroom, he reached under his bed before giving himself up.
Detectives found a loaded .45 caliber handgun hidden between the bed frame and the mattress that his 5-month-old baby boy was lying on.
Investigators also found 23 bags of crack emblazoned with gold skulls, bullets in the drawers, bags of crack in the dresser, as well as 20 cellphones.
Smith is facing child endangerment charges in addition to drug charges.
