Some of NYC's biggest drug busts since the 70s: Crime in the City
NEW YORK CITY - Whether it’s the crack epidemic of the 80s, the abundance of heroin in the streets, or the recent flood of fentanyl, New York City has long seen its share of drug battles and busts.
JUMP TO: 1978 l 1986 l 1989 l 1992 l 2000 l 2007 l 2023
From shady backroom deals to multi-million dollar smuggling rings, FOX 5 NY's Crime in the City takes a look at some of the big NYC takedowns of the past few decades. Watch the full episode in the media player above.
Here are some of the big takedowns from across the five boroughs:
May 3, 1978: Grand Concourse, the Bronx
- (0:30-3:31) The spring of 1978, and the culmination of a two-year sting in the streets of the South Bronx.
April 10, 1986: 14th St. on the Lower East Side
- (3:31-6:12) Investigators looking to clean up the Lower East Side make a multi-billion-dollar heroin haul.
Dec. 13, 1989: Bowery and Bleecker on the Lower East Side
- (6:12-8:35) A few years later and not far away, a FOX 5 NY report on a seedy drug den inside a Bowery hotel leads to a major narcotics raid.
Oct. 21, 1992: Washington Square Park
- (8:35-10:48) In the fall of 1992, police descended on one of the city’s most beloved parks to tackle shady, broad-daylight dealings.
July 2, 2000: New York Harbor near Staten Island
- (10:48-12:17) The Coast Guard made one of its largest seizures to date in New York Harbor in the summer of 2000.
Oct. 16, 2007: JFK Airport
- (12:17-14:01) In 2007, the feds put a stop to the international smuggling of heroin and cocaine through JFK Airport.
Oct. 23, 2023: Soundview & Randall Avenue in the Bronx
- (14:01-16:20) In October 2023, a Bronx pizzeria is caught cooking up a whole lot more than specialty slices.