STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — A 47-year-old man was arrested after his apartment in New Brighton was raided following multiple alleged drug sales to an undercover officer.
Luis Ortiz, who lives in the Richmond Terrace Houses, has been indicted on four counts of criminal sale of a controlled substance. The defendant exchanged cocaine for cash in July and August with an undercover officer, according to the indictment.
Ortiz also traded five caps and a twist containing cocaine with an undercover officer in September, court documents allege.
Officers armed with a search warrant swarmed Ortiz’s apartment on Sept. 18 at 6 a.m. On the same day, officers conducted a separate raid at a different apartment in the city Housing Authority complex, resulting in the arrest of three additional individuals on drug charges.
The criminal complaint alleges that inside Ortiz’s apartment, officers found a backpack that held capsules containing cocaine. A digital scale tainted with that stimulant was located in the kitchen, authorities allege. Such scales are typically used to weigh and measure controlled substances in preparation for packaging and sale.
In addition to the drug sale indictment, Ortiz faces charges of criminal possession of a controlled substance with intent to sell, criminal use of drug paraphernalia and criminal possession of a controlled substance.
The defendant was arraigned and pleaded not guilty to all charges. He is scheduled to appear in state Supreme Court in St. George on Oct. 20 and in Criminal Court on Nov. 20. No defense attorney or information about bail status is listed in public records.
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