More than 30 members of five different drug dealing organizations are facing criminal charges for allegedly selling fentanyl and other drugs in the Hub commercial district in the South Bronx.
Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark said those drugs caused at least five people to overdose. She said police also caught drug dealers talking on wiretaps about how dangerously strong their products were.
“They just don’t care about life, but we do,” she said at a press conference Monday. “We wanted to stop the flow of fentanyl, heroin, and other narcotics to stop the overdoses.”
Police investigated the movement of drugs in the area, from street dealers and runners to major suppliers, according to the DA’s office. Four people face charges of operating as a major drug trafficker, which could land them in prison for life if convicted.
The rest of the defendants face a mix of charges, including criminal possession of a controlled substance, criminal sale of a controlled substance and conspiracy. Those who have been arraigned so far have pleaded not guilty.
Spokespeople for the Bronx Defenders and the Legal Aid Society did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
While executing search warrants, law enforcement seized 30 pounds of fentanyl, 12 pounds of crystal meth, a kilo of cocaine, five guns and $100,000 in cash, the DA’s office said.
Commissioner Jessica Tisch said the investigation started in February 2025 in response to concerns from community members about drug dealing and use in the area. Foot traffic dropped and commercial vacancy rates rose as local residents tried to avoid the sight of people injecting drugs in broad daylight, including in front of an elementary school, she said.
“For too long people were afraid to come to this major commercial center in the Bronx,” she said.
Tisch said the NYPD will be sending extra officers to prevent more drug sellers from setting up shop in the area. The department recently used a similar approach in Manhattan’s Washington Square Park, she said.
Major crime was down 11% in the first five months of the year, according to Tisch, who said shootings have also dropped while gun arrests have increased by 25%. The department recently launched a new patrol division in the South Bronx, adding 200 officers to the borough.