Cops corral coke, pills, pot and weapons

Drug arrests in the Five-O just keep on coming. 

On Aug. 29, police allegedly caught Nelson Polanco, 28, with approximately 3,000 illegally obtained prescription drugs and more than $9,000 in cash before arresting him shortly after 1 a.m. in front of The Majestic — 3660 Waldo Ave. — where he lives. 

Just days before, on Aug. 23, police arrested Peter Patetsios, 48, the owner of the popular watering hole Dorney and Malone’s on West 242nd Street and Broadway for allegedly dealing painkillers and cocaine out of the bar.

Weeks earlier, on the evening of Aug. 9, police discovered around 950 Viagra and Cialis pills used to treat erectile dysfunction at the Marble Hill deli Garden of Eatin, at 5189 Broadway, after allegedly receiving a tip from a confidential source. When they searched the place, they found an arsenal of weapons, according to the complaint filed in Bronx criminal court. 

On the night of Mr. Polanco’s arrest at The Majestic, Commander of the 50th Precinct Capt. Kevin Burke said he smelled marijuana in the vicinity of the building and saw Mr. Polanco smoking a marijuana cigarette. Capt. Burke said that Mr. Polanco threw the joint on the ground and police proceeded to search him. 

Cops found marijuana and 646 illegally obtained pills — which Capt. Burke said were the painkiller Oxycodone — on his person, according to the criminal complaint filed against Mr. Polanco by the Bronx District Attorney’s Office. At that point Mr. Polanco said, “I don’t have no weapons, no guns. Go ahead. You can search me. You can search my apartment.” 

Court documents describe what they found inside as 2,702 blue-round pills in the bathroom in a drawer underneath the sink. Capt. Burke said the pills were HIV drugs that could possibly be sold on the black market.

Mr. Polanco has been released but could not be reached for comment. He is being charged with four counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance, criminal possession of marijuana and unlawful possession of marijuana. 

In the case of the Marble Hill deli bust, police said a tip from a confidential source led them to the establishment with a warrant to search the store.

Capt. Burke said they found around 950 Viagra and Cialis pills used to treat erectile dysfunction. But The Press could only obtain court documents with the charges. 

According to the complaint filed against Orlando Perez, 29; Moshin Harahara, 60; Majdi Jadalah, 28; and Luis Arias, 48, police found weapons, including a firearm, an electronic dart gun, an electronic stun gun, a gravity knife, a switchblade, a metal knuckle knife, a cane sword, a billy club, a black jack, a bludgeon, plastic knuckles, metal knuckles, nunchucks, a sand bag and a slingshot.

The portion of the complaint referring to Orlando Perez, who was present the day police executed a search warrant, is sealed.

At Dorney’s, police recovered kilos of cocaine with an estimated value of $80,000 and large quantities of other controlled substances like Xanax, Percocet and hyrdrocodone. 

Dorney’s has been shuttered; Garden of Eatin remains open. 

Commander of the 50th Precinct Capt. Kevin Burke said the recent spate of drug-related arrests can be attributed to Sgt. John Tancredi, who transferred in January from Harlem’s 28th Precinct to the 50th, and who is leading the Five-O’s effort to stop drug crimes.