Cops have arrested eight suspected drug dealers and four others connected homes where drugs were found—including a woman charged with child endangerment after a loaded semiautomatic handgun was found under a sleeping baby’s bed, officials said.
The arrests are part of a 10-month joint investigation into crack and marijuana sales by the Brooklyn North Narcotics Unit and the District Attorney’s office, which have netted a total 26 people in Bedford-Stuyvesant since July, according to a news release from the DA’s office.
In the most recent round of arrests, drugs were found in the following homes:
Apartment 3 of 70A Linden Street; the ground floor apartment of 753 Monroe Street; the basement and second floor apartments of 823 Madison Street; and the third floor apartment of 834 Madison Street.
The loaded .40 caliber semiautomatic handgun and additional ammunition were found at 834 Madison St. under a bed where an 11-month-old was sleeping. A 4-year-old and a 14-year-old were also in the apartment, along with marijuana, scales and drug packaging materials. Laronda Hardy, who lives in the apartment, was charged with three counts of Endangering the Welfare of a Child in addition to weapons and drug-related offenses.
Naquan Brown, Herbert Curtis, Zajuan Glaster, Desmond Jones, Dijon Martin, Jaquan Pinckney, Tyquan Steele, and Daquan Tyson, were charged with selling drugs in several spots, including near P.S. 309 and a Headstart program.
Messiah Hagler, Marcus Martin and Andrew Robinson were charged with drug possession.
“The circumstances of yesterday’s arrests bring to light the continuing threat that such organized drug sale activity constitutes to the children of our neighborhoods,” said District Attorney Charles Hynes in a written statement.
In July, 14 people were arrested in connection with drug sales, including near P.S. 144.
Detective James DeLumen and Sergeant Gerald Pappas of the Brooklyn North Narcotics Major Case Team conducted the investigation.
“Once again, undercover police officers put their lives at risk to make these arrests possible and improve life for the law-abiding residents of Bed-Stuy,” said Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly in the release.
