A 15-month investigation ended with the seizure of more than 4,000 pounds of cocaine in a Maspeth, Queens, warehouse and the arrest of four major drug traffickers. Originating in Mexico, the cocaine entered the country across the Southwest border, concealed in a railroad tanker car between its outer crash wall and inner tank. It had been placed there through a hole in the inner wall, which was re-welded closed after the drugs were stored. Vegetable oil was loaded into the tanker car to conceal the trap. In January, 2003, the railroad car arrived in Queens and was stationed at a rail spur by the side entrance to the warehouse, where the cocaine was stored. Three of the defendants were apprehended on January 28, 2003 as they attempted to deliver 800 pounds of cocaine to a fourth defendant, a local Bronx narcotics distributor, who was also arrested at the time. A search of the warehouse yielded 3,200 additional pounds of cocaine.
