TWO BRONX MEN FOUND GUILTY OF POSSESSING NEARLY FORTY SIX HUNDRED GLASSINE ENVELOPES OF HEROIN FACING LIFE IMPRISONMENT

Bronx District Attorney Robert T. Johnson announced today that two Bronx men were convicted of possessing nearly forty six hundred glassine envelopes containing heroin worth an estimated $46,000 if it had been sold on the street.

Jose Caba, 43, of 210 West 230th Street and Hector Figueroa, 30, of 11 East 199th Street, were each found guilty on a single count of Criminal possession of a controlled substance in the 1st degree, a Class A-1 felony offense punishable by a maximum sentence of up to 25 years to life imprisonment.

State Supreme Court Justice Alexander Hunter set sentencing for Tuesday, May 14, 2002 in Part T12.

The defendants were arrested on December 8, 2000 when anti-crime police officers stopped a livery cab for a traffic check at the intersection of Reservoir and Claflin Avenues. The officers had observed the vehicle speeding and moving through traffic in an erratic manner without signaling. When the officers approached the vehicle to question the driver, they noticed that Figueroa, a passenger in the back seat along with Caba, was trying to push something with his leg, under the driver’s seat. The two passengers were directed to get out of the car and a search of the package that had been pushed under the seat revealed the contents to be four thousand five hundred and ninety eight glassine envelopes containing heroin that had been stamped with such brand names as Scarface, Drama and Rhumba.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Kristen Milano of the Narcotics Bureau.