In the largest methamphetamine seizure in Suffolk County history, prosecutors announced charges against two Holbrook residents accused of running a massive narcotics distribution enterprise that funneled millions of dollars’ worth of drugs onto Long Island’s streets.
District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney, joined by Police Commissioner Kevin Catalina, said the defendants, Caleb Moran and Jessica Medina-Rivas, both 28, face dozens of felony charges, including operating as major traffickers. Moran was indicted on 23 counts, while Medina-Rivas faces 32. The Class A felonies carry sentences of up to 15 years to life in prison, the most severe drug charges allowed under state law.
The investigation, launched after undercover buys, led detectives to a rented home on Tarkington Road in Holbrook. There, authorities seized an unprecedented cache: 12 kilos of methamphetamine, 14 kilos of cocaine, 20 pounds of marijuana, 2,500 MDMA pills, black tar heroin, steroids, xylazine, and fentanyl—$2 million worth of narcotics. More than 80 pounds of cannabis products were seized at a second location in East Patchogue. Firearms, ammunition, scales, pill presses, bill counters, and stacks of cash were also recovered.
Detectives revealed that Moran and Medina-Rivas attempted to disguise themselves by driving a decommissioned Southampton Town police vehicle, hoping to pass as law enforcement. “They were determined to be large-scale distributors,” Tierney said at a Riverhead press conference, where the staggering amount of contraband was displayed.
“Drugs are not victimless crimes,” Tierney stressed. “We will not tolerate people who prey on our communities.” He said that while the drug house was “hiding in plain sight,” it posed a real threat with dangerous substances, questionable associates, and weapons.
Investigators said the takedown represents one of the largest narcotics busts in county history, with probes continuing into cartel-level sources of supply. Charges could be upgraded pending lab results, Tierney said.