Photo Courtesy of Revzilla
A 2015 Yamaha FZ7, similar to the one pictured, was among the 10 stolen motorcycles that were sold to anф undercover detective.
By Forum Staff
An Ozone Park man and four men from Brooklyn have been charged following an investigation in which they are alleged to have sold 10 stolen motorcycles, as well as heroin and fentanyl, to an undercover cop from May through August, Queens District Attorney Richard Brown announced on Friday.
David Vasquez, 29, has been identified as the main defendant, Brown noted. Jose Abreu, 37, of Ozone Park was arraigned in August on complaints charging him with two counts of second-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance. Bail was set at $500,000 and he remains on Rikers Island. Abreu’s next court date is Dec. 18.
Vasquez and Abreu allegedly sold 511 glassine envelopes containing a heroin and methamphetamine mixture on May 1, and 1,000 glassine envelopes containing fentanyl on July 18 to an undercover detective. Vasquez is further charged, along with Christopher Alverez, 29, with selling 2,002 glassine envelopes containing a mixture of heroin and fentanyl to the detective for $12,000, on Aug. 22.
According to other complaints, Vasquez arranged meetings in Ridgewood, Elmhurst and Flushing to sell various stolen motorcycles to a buyer who, unbeknownst to him, was another undercover detective. It is alleged that Vasquez and Johnnie Townsend, 37, also of Brooklyn, sold six motorcycles – three Hondas, two Yamahas and a Triumph – to the undercover cop on four different occasions between May 7 and July 10 for a total of $6,600. Vasquez is also charged with selling four other stolen motorcycles – three Hondas and a 2015 Yamaha FZ7 – to the detective between May 1 and Aug. 21 for a total of $4,400.
Additionally, none of the motorcycles were sold with its keys or title of ownership. In each instance, the motorcycle’s ignition wires had been clipped and then re-taped, a common method that motorcycle thieves use to hot-wire and start the engine without a key. The 10 stolen motorcycles were worth in excess of $39,000.
Brown said that the men “in this case are variously charged with selling highly addictive hard drugs and stolen motorcycles. Fortunately, as a result of a long-term investigation by the New York City Police Department’s Auto Crime Division and my office’s Organized Crime and Rackets Bureau, these individuals are now out of business and facing lengthy terms of incarceration for their alleged crimes. This case should serve as a warning to drug dealers and anyone else who barters in stolen goods in Queens County that law enforcement is coming for you.”
