Bridget G. Brennan, New York City’s Special Narcotics Prosecutor announced the indictment of three defendants for their roles in two separate narcotics trafficking schemes related to Manhattan College, a private college in the Fieldston section of the Bronx, and Brooklyn College, a City University of New York (CUNY) school located in Flatbush, Brooklyn.

Bridget G. Brennan, New York City’s Special Narcotics Prosecutor announced today the indictment and arrest of Dr. Gerald Surya, an internist and senior aviation medical examiner with offices at JFK International Airport and in Valley Stream, Long Island.

Bridget G. Brennan, New York City’s Special Narcotics Prosecutor announced the arrest of five individuals, including a high-level drug trafficker based in Harlem, Albert Fortosa, who arranged for bulk shipments of cocaine to be sent via U.S. Postal Service express mail from Puerto Rico to New York City. Five intercepted packages each contained a kilogram of cocaine (over 2 lbs.) concealed in gift-wrapped boxes and packed alongside children’s toys.

Bridget G. Brennan, New York City’s Special Narcotics Prosecutor announced the arrest and indictment of Dr. Mengjia Zhao on charges he illegally sold 28 prescriptions for alprazolam, an addictive medication commonly sold under the brand name Xanax, which is used to treat anxiety. The doctor is also charged with selling the pills themselves on five occasions.

Dr. Hector Castro, a Manhattan physician who specialized in internal medicine, was sentenced today to five years and six months in prison, followed by two years post-release supervision, following his conviction in May on 39 counts of Criminal Sale of a Prescription for a Controlled Substance. The Office of the Special Narcotics Prosecutor Bridget Brennan filed an indictment against Castro following a 15-month long investigation, which was supervised by the Office’s Prescription Drug Investigation Unit. The sentence was imposed by Judge Kirke Bartley in Manhattan Supreme Court, who also presided over the three week long trial.

Bridget G. Brennan, New York City’s Special Narcotics Prosecutor announced the unveiling of a newly refurbished gymnasium at the Farragut Houses, a New York City Housing Authority development in the Vinegar Hill section of Brooklyn.

The Special Narcotics Prosecutor for the City of New York, Bridget G. Brennan announced the dismantling of a heroin distribution network led by two Deer Park brothers, Winston and Uriel Rose, who over a six week period purchased from their Bronx supplier 20,200 bags of heroin to sell to heroin users and heroin dealers in western Suffolk County.

Bridget G. Brennan, New York City’s Special Narcotics Prosecutor, announced today the guilty plea of Anthony D’Alessandro, former Director of Pharmacy Services for Beth Israel Medical Center in Manhattan, to four counts of Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Second Degree.

Bridget G. Brennan, New York City’s Special Narcotics Prosecutor announced a 34-count indictment charging four individuals with drug trafficking in the vicinity of Sea Rise, a privately-owned housing development in Coney Island, and Williams Plaza, a New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) complex in Williamsburg, as well as one firearm sale.

Bridget G. Brennan, New York City’s Special Narcotics Prosecutor announced the indictment and arrest of Dr. Rogelio Luca and his wife, Lydia Lucas, who served as an office manager for her husband’s medical practice.

Bridget G. Brennan, New York City’s Special Narcotics Prosecutor, announced today the sentencing of drug kingpin Jose Mauro Mota to 11 years in prison and five years post-release supervision for Operating as a Major Trafficker and 3 ½ years to 10 ½ years for Conspiracy in the Second Degree. Both prison terms are to run concurrently.

Bridget G. Brennan, New York City’s Special Narcotics Prosecutor announced today the conviction of Dr. Hector Castro, an internal medicine practitioner, on 39 counts of Criminal Sale of a Prescription for a Controlled Substance.