PD: Bust Takes ‘Poison’ Off Streets

*Photo/Northport Police Department
Robert Smith

By Jano Tantongco
jtantongco@longislandergroup.com

The Northport Police Department arrested a Brentwood man suspected of peddling heroin in Northport early Tuesday morning after a joint investigation with the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Heroin Task Force.

Investigators executed a search warrant at the Brentwood home of 42-year-old Robert Smith at 6:03 a.m. At the Arthur Street residence, police found around 66 grams of crack cocaine with a street value of $2,600, around 30 grams of heroin with a street value of $1,500 and $3,700 in cash.

Based on the type of drug packaging and evidence found at Smith’s home, Northport Chief of Police Bill Ricca said, investigators believe that “he was actually moving a substantially larger amount than we recovered.”

“We’re very glad to have been able to get him off the street,” Ricca added. “That much less poison is going to be dished out to our children. Having him off the streets just makes our county a safer place.”

Ricca called Smith a career criminal who racked up 11 prior arrests.

He added that one of Northport’s officers is also a part-time member of the task force and alerted his fellow members that the defendant was allegedly selling narcotics in and around the Northport area, spurring the investigation.

“It’s just another example of how interagency cooperation can lead to great results,” Ricca said.

Smith was charged with two counts of third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance with intent to sell, two counts of third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance for possession and two counts of second-degree criminal use of drug paraphernalia, one for drug packaging and the other for drug scales.

He is expected to be arraigned at Suffolk County First District Court later this week, according to police.