Sheriff’s Office Conducts Large Scale Drug Bust
The Putnam County Sheriff’s Office conducted one of the largest drug seizures ever recorded in the county’s history earlier this month, resulting in the arrests of two Brewster residents.
Following a joint investigation into drug trafficking in the area by county and federal law enforcement officials, about $200,000 worth of heroin was recovered, according to the sheriff ’s department.
Village of Brewster residents Francisco Osorio Sagastume, 18, of Eastview Avenue and Eduardo Paiz-Ortega, 21, of Oak Street were arrested on Dec. 8, the sheriff ’s office said in a press release. The two men were both charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance in the 1st degree, a class A felony, and additional charges are expected as the investigation continues, according to police.
Sagastume was arrested driving in the village after he was pulled over by sheriff ’s deputies and investigators. A deputy sheriff and his K-9 partner, Kato, assisted in searching the vehicle and found about one kilo of heroin inside, the sheriff’s office said. Paiz-Ortega was taken into custody later that day when authorities went to his apartment and detained him there. With search warrant in hand, another kilo of heroin was found, according to authorities.
The two arrested men could face 20 years in jail if convicted.
As the investigation widened, it involved several agencies including the sheriff ’s department, the Putnam district attorney’s office, the Westchester district attorney’s office, the United States Drug Enforcement Administration and the United States Attorneys’ Office for the Southern District of New York.
Senior investigator Thomas Corless, who is in charge of the sheriff ’s narcotics enforcement unit, said a caller’s tip to the sheriff ’s department drug hotline initiated the investigation. Residents with tips can call 845-225-DRUG.
