Police: While making warrant arrests, cops come upon drug deal

Officers from the Bureau of Special Operations and Fugitive Squad tracking down outstanding warrants Thursday as part of a Nassau County police initiative called "Operation Rolling Thunder" brought the hammer down on two men they said engaged in a drug deal in front of them in broad daylight on an Inwood street.

Police said the officers witnessed the apparent "hand-to-hand" drug deal on Zavatt Street at 11:30 a.m. Thursday.

Arrested were Emmanuel Francois, 37, of 53 Walcott Ave., Inwood, and Justin Shaw, 21, of 74 Mott Ave., Inwood, police said.

Francois was charged with seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, while Shaw was charged with third-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance and third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance.

Both are scheduled for arraignment Friday in First District Court in Hempstead.

Police said the "Operation Rolling Thunder" team was closing out outstanding warrants in the Inwood area when they spotted Francois and Shaw on Zavatt Street engaged in what they called "an apparent hand-to-hand drug transaction." They stopped Francois and discovered he was in possession of a plastic baggie containing cocaine, police said. They then arrested the two men in the alleged deal. police said.