Newsday
ALBANY, N.Y. — Police in Syracuse, Rochester and Elmira arrested 87 people in a drug sweep Thursday, authorities said.
The sweep by more than 400 police was coordinated by the state Attorney General’s office as part of “Operation Thunder and Lightning,” a series of investigations by the state Organized Crime Task Force.
Attorney General Andrew Cuomo described upstate drug trafficking as “a web of interconnections” with apparent links between cities, indicating it is getting highly organized after years of migrating from New York City.
The investigation that led to Thursday’s arrests included 95 wiretaps. Authorities reported seizing more than $250,000 in drugs, guns and cash over several months, including an estimated $120,000 of cocaine, $35,000 of heroin and $5,000 of marijuana and Ecstasy.
About half the suspects arrested Thursday are charged with felony drug possession and distribution. Nearly all are charged with felony conspiracy, according to the attorney general’s office
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