NEW YORK, N.Y. — Two men have been charged with conspiring to distribute cocaine after agents seized approximately 120 kilograms of cocaine from a leased luxury high-rise apartment in Queens that prosecutors say served as a stash house, federal officials announced.
Read the U.S. Attorney's Office release: https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/two-men-charged-cocaine-trafficking-operating-queens-stash-apartment
The indictment was unsealed in the Southern District of New York and announced on November 9, 2026.
United States Attorney Jamie McDonald and Farhana Islam, Special Agent in Charge of the New York Enforcement Division of the Drug Enforcement Administration, announced the charges.
Glen Contreras, 40, of Hasbrouck Heights, New Jersey, is one of the defendants.
Erick Marcano, 53, of the Bronx, New York, is the other defendant.
Contreras was arrested on October 29, 2026, according to the release.
Marcano was arrested on October 30, 2026, according to the release.
The case is assigned to U.S. District Judge Paul G. Gardephe.
The charges are allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Bulk Loads, A Leased Apartment, And Surveillance Footage
Since in or about August 2026, the DEA has been investigating a drug trafficking organization that moves bulk loads of cocaine into the New York City area, according to the release.
Contreras leased an apartment in a high-rise building in Long Island City, Queens, where the organization's cocaine was stored, prosecutors reported.
In August 2026, surveillance footage captured Contreras and another individual moving boxes into the building and up to the apartment's floor, according to the allegations.
A New Jersey Arrest, A Queens Search, And A Key Fob
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On October 29, 2026, law enforcement arrested Contreras and recovered approximately $40,000 in cash and a currency counter from his residence in New Jersey, officials reported.
That night, agents executed a search warrant at the apartment and recovered approximately 120 kilograms of cocaine and a handgun with a loaded magazine, according to the release.
During the search, Marcano arrived on the same floor of the apartment carrying a key fob that opened the apartment's door, in an apparent attempt to remove surveillance cameras, prosecutors reported.
"Stash houses like the one in this case supply the drugs that devastate our communities," said U.S. Attorney Jamie McDonald.
"The seizure of approximately 120 kilograms of cocaine and a loaded firearm from a residential high-rise in Long Island City, Queens, exposes the alarming scale of this alleged drug trafficking operation," said DEA Special Agent in Charge Farhana Islam.
Ten Years To Life, A Consecutive Gun Count, And What Happens Next
Contreras and Marcano are each charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and a maximum sentence of life in prison.
Contreras is also charged with one count of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison, to run consecutively to any other sentence imposed, and a maximum sentence of life in prison.
The statutory minimum and maximum penalties are prescribed by Congress, and any sentencing will be determined by a judge, officials reported.
McDonald praised the investigative work of the DEA, according to the release.
The case is being handled by the Office's Narcotics Unit, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas Pavlis is in charge of the prosecution.
What happens next is the prosecution of both defendants in the Southern District of New York on the unsealed indictment. Anyone with information about drug trafficking activity is asked to contact the DEA or local law enforcement.
Sources
U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York, "Two Men Charged With Cocaine Trafficking For Operating Queens Stash Apartment," November 9, 2026: https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/two-men-charged-cocaine-trafficking-operating-queens-stash-apartment
Transparency notes
Published: Nov 9, 2026. No major post-publication update has been logged.
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