West Hempstead man arrested on drug charges

A 24-year-old West Hempstead man was arrested on drug charges after Nassau County police narcotics-vice squad officers witnessed what police described as "a hand-to-hand drug transaction" with a person in a car on a residential street late Thursday.

Joseph Pirrello was arrested outside his home on Madison Avenue at 10 p.m., police said. He was charged with three counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance, two counts of criminal possession of marijuana and criminal sale of marijuana. He was scheduled to be arraigned Friday in First District Court in Hempstead.

Police said Pirrello was arrested after he was seen leaving his home, approaching a waiting vehicle -- and dropping eight bags of heroin into that vehicle. Police said officers recovered "multiple bags" of marijuana, psilocybin (mushrooms), Xanax pills, Clonzepam pills, Suboxone, MDMA and LSD.