Officials: Nassau cops make drug bust in Ronkonkoma

Two people have been arrested following an investigation into a Long Island drug ring that distributed heroin, cocaine and crystal methamphetamine, Nassau County police officials said Friday.

Shaquawn Mason, 25, and Susline Santana, 22, were arrested at an Easton Street home in Ronkonkoma at 5:30 a.m. Thursday by Nassau Narcotics Vice Bureau detectives, with assistance from Suffolk County police Emergency Service Unit officers, authorities said.

Both were charged with three counts of third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, third-degree criminal possession of a weapon, fourth-degree criminal possession of stolen property and three counts of fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon, police said.

Mason, from Virginia, also was charged with second-degree conspiracy, police said.

Both Mason and Santana supplied the drugs and sold them to customers, officials said.

“Nassau County police have stopped a drug mill making $70,000 a week in profits and dispensing approximately 4,000 doses of illegal drugs to our residents, including our children, in the county,” said Patrick Ryder, acting police commissioner, at a news conference Friday afternoon at police headquarters in Mineola.

Police said that during the execution of the search warrant leading to the arrest, officers recovered 320 grams of cocaine, which had a street value of $20,000, 130 grams of crack, valued at $8,000, 75 grams of heroin, valued at $10,000, 23 grams of crystal methamphetamine, valued at $3,000, packaging materials, scales, cutting agents, three loaded handguns, one high-capacity ammunition magazine, numerous rounds of ammunition and more than $10,000 in cash.

The pair would press the drugs into pills and sell them in Nassau and Suffolk counties, officials said. They also used high-end watches as a way to launder the proceeds from the drug sales, authorities said.

Mason and Santana were arraigned Friday in First District Court in Hempstead.

Mason was held on $250,000 bond or $250,000 cash. Santana, from the Dominican Republic, was held on $200,000 bond or $200,000 cash, court officials said.

The attorney for both Mason and Santana did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

By John Valenti

john.valenti@newsday.com,mark.morales@newsday.com

John Valenti, a reporter at Newsday since 1981, has been honored nationally by the Associated Press and Society of the Silurians for investigative, enterprise and breaking news reporting, as well as column writing, and is the author of “Swee'pea,” a book about former New York playground basketball star Lloyd Daniels. Valenti is featured in the Emmy Award-winning ESPN 30-for-30 film “Big Shot.”