A former New York City police officer was detained on Thursday and charged with trafficking fentanyl and heroin while also being accused by federal authorities of arranging narcotics deals while employed.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York announced on Friday that Grace Rosa Baez, 37, of the Bronx, who had worked for the NYPD since 2012, is accused of conspiring to distribute heroin and fentanyl as well as three charges of drug distribution.
Baez has left her position as an officer, an NYPD official said on Sunday.
Cesar Martinez, 43, of Yonkers, who lived in the same apartment as the former cop, is charged with the same offenses as Baez, according to federal authorities.
Between October 9 and Thursday, according to the prosecution’s allegations, Baez and Martinez spoke with a confidential source who was assisting law enforcement on numerous occasions about buying drugs for the source at agreed-upon pricing.
Prosecutors claimed that BAEZ and MARTINEZ “offered to sell kilogram quantities of fentanyl, heroin, and cocaine.”
Prosecutors cited one instance in which Baez allegedly promised a confidential source on October 11 that she could supply two kilograms of fentanyl for $30,000 a kilogram as well as an additional 400 kilos of heroin for which a price would be discussed later.
Prosecutors claim that on Monday, Baez met with the anonymous source in Yonkers and gave him a plastic candy container, telling him there was fentanyl inside. Testing later revealed that material to be heroin, according to the prosecution.
Following Baez’s arrest on Thursday, police visited the apartment she and Martinez shared and allegedly observed “a package of suspected narcotics thrown from inside the house to outside the apartment,” according to the prosecution. The kilogram press machine and extra suspected narcotics that MARTINEZ had ostensibly tried to toss outside were found inside the flat by police authorities.
Prosecutors said that Baez conducted narcotics trades while doing his duties.
On October 11, she discussed a meeting place to discuss drug sales with the confidential source. On October 13, she negotiated the cost and quality of fentanyl as well as arranged to deliver a sample of the drug to a confidential source. On October 16, she discussed the last delivery with the confidential source.
Grace Rosa Baez took an oath to defend and serve the citizens of New York City, according to a statement from U.S. Attorney Damian Williams for the Southern District of New York. She is accused of flagrantly breaking that pledge by promoting drugs like fentanyl and heroin, which are to blame for thousands of terrible deaths in the city and around the country and are fueling the deadly opioid crisis.
Prosecutors claimed that after allegations of misbehavior surfaced in 2020, the NYPD started looking into Baez, who had been assigned modified duty. She was given modified desk duty earlier this month, before she resigned, according to the prosecution.