By Luc Cohen

NEW YORK, (Reuters) – The largest seizure of drug trafficking in America in more than a decade was made Tuesday by U.S. authorities.

According to Ray Donovan (special agent for New York Division, U.S Drug Enforcement Administration), the bust came as authorities struggle with a 150% rise in cocaine seizures in the region over the last year.

According to a March 2021 DEA Report, cocaine availability in the United States fell 14% in 2019. It also reached its lowest point in six years. However, supply remained steady through 2020.

Donovan stated in a statement that “this seizure signifies the shift in New York’s illegal drug landscape.”

According to someone familiar with the matter, the street value of the seized 920 kg (2,028 lb) cocaine could range from $37 million to $370 million depending on its retail price.

Federal prosecutors filed Monday’s indictment against Jorge Aponte Guzman, Nelson Agramonte Minaya, and Carlos Maisonet–Lopez. They accused them of conspiracy to traffic drugs in connection with the drug seized.

According to the prosecutors, officials discovered large quantities of cocaine inside lawn rollers made from metal in an Aponte Guzman’s rental van. The vehicle was driven from a New Jersey loading bay to a residence. The prosecutors added that shipping records proved the rollers were shipped from Puerto Rico to an Bronx address.

Aponte-Guzman defense lawyers and Maisonet Lopez did not immediately reply to our requests for comment. Agramonte Minaya was not able to respond.

Damian Williams was the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York who swore in last month. He referred to the quantity of cocaine that had been seized as “massive quantities of dangerous drugs.”