3 men arrested, large amount of fentanyl seized in raid, police say

Authorities arrested three men and seized enough opioid fentanyl to make 1.1 million street doses during a raid of a Mastic Beach home, officials said Saturday.

The trio face multiple charges in connection with possessing 725 grams of fentanyl, Suffolk police Commissioner Timothy Sini said at a news conference Saturday at police headquarters. Sini said Suffolk police and other law enforcement agencies executed a search warrant for the Edwards Road home on Friday at 4 p.m.

The fentanyl was shipped via regular mail from Hong Kong to New York City for distribution on Long Island, Sini said. Suffolk County police, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the NYPD and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service were among the agencies that collaborated in the investigation. Authorities also seized $7,400 cash, numerous 9 mm rounds, two cellphones and a 2007 Mercedes-Benz during the raid.

“That’s over 1.1 million doses of fentanyl that aren’t being used in our communities and that saves thousands and thousands, potentially hundreds of thousands of lives,” Sini said.

Corey Robinson, 24, who lived in the house, was charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance, a felony. Thomas Moore, 41, who also resided in the house, was charged with obstruction of government administration. Daequan Rickenbacker, 25, of Woodland Drive in Mastic Beach was charged with loitering.

Police said Moore ignored repeated warnings to keep his pit bull on a leash and allowed the dog to charge at detectives during the raid, police said. Although police shot the dog, the animal survived, according to Sini. No police were injured.

Robinson and Moore were arraigned at First District Court in Central Islip on Saturday. Robinson was released on recognizance and his next court date is Dec. 6. Moore was released on recognizance and his next court date is Nov. 3. No arraignment information was listed in online court record for Rickenbacker late Saturday.

Used to help prevent pain after surgery or other medical procedures, the highly addictive fentanyl is 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Although police are awaiting additional test results, Sini said field tests found the fentanyl confiscated in the raid to be “extremely potent” and likely pure.