WPCNR POLICE GAZETTE. By John F. Bailey. September 5, 2003 UPDATED WITH PHOTOS 12:30 E.D.T. September 6, 2003: White Plains Police conducted a raid at 233 Fisher Avenue located directly across from Rochambeau School Friday morning at 5:07 A.M. and found a major quantity of cocaine (quantity undetermined at the present time), approximately $18,000 in cash recovered from a safe, automatic weapons,bulletproof vests, shotguns, revolvers and alleged stolen goods. Fifteen officers of the White Plains Police Department Special Response Team arrested  the owner of the house, Jose Antonio Sanchez,50, and his nephew, Miguel Antonio Sanchez, 32 at the apartment raided on multiple charges of criminal possession of a controlled substance, weapons violations, Commissioner Frank Straub reported today at a news conference at the Public Safety Building at 2 PM today. 

233 FISHER AVENUE: Site of White Plains Police Drug Raid early Friday morning as it appeared Friday evening with Crime Scene Yellow Tape wrapped around entrance yard, as seen from Rochambeau School. Photo by WPCNR NEWS

WHITE PLAINS PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSIONER FRANK STRAUB ANNOUNCES DRUG ARRESTS at White Plains Public Safety Building. The Commissioner, at podium is seen with the Special Response Team standing with District Attorney Jeanine Pirro, in front of the "arsenal," drugs, cash and stolen goods conviscated at Friday morning's drug raid on one apartment in 233 Fisher Avenue. Photo by WPCNR News. 

Commissioner Straub said the investigation was continuing and was focusing on "other points of distribution in the city," which the "drug factory" is believed to have supplied. He said the apartment was raided after search warrants were obtained after a one-month investigation conducted by his department. Straub said no other housing locations in the Fisher Avenue area were involved as part of the drug investigation. When asked if they were looking at other houses in the city, or restaurants, Straub said, "we're focusing on other points of distribution in the city."

CACHE OF DEADLY WEAPONS AND AMMUNITION WAS UNEXPECTED: Special Response Team in conducting an authorized search of the apartment raided at 233 Fisher found two machine guns, a .22 caliber rifle, assorted ammunition, a shot gun. Photo by WPCNR News

The Commissioner described the activity in the apartment raided as being used for cutting cocaine for sale for distribution points in White Plains. The display of contraband weapons and drug paraphenalia conviscated included,  patches of cocaine ready for sale, a lactose product used for cutting the cocaine and a strainer. There was a neat pile of cash in $100 bills, .45 calibre ammunition, a .22 caliber rifle, 2 Machine Guns (a MAC 10 and TECH 9 according to Deputy Commissioner David Chong used for self defense, and according to him used for close-in effective defense).

Apartment was described by Commisioner Straub to be a Cocaine cutting operation for resale to other locations in White Plains, and perhaps elsewhere. Here are cocaine lines (square white patches), cash, lactose product and strainer used in the "cutting" process alleged to have been conducted in the apartment.

Alleged stolen goods included shirts, bicycles, woks. Commissioner Straub said the apartment also appeared to double as a fencing operation. Straub said this kind of find was "unusual for White Plains." Captain Ann Fitzsimmons said the deadly array of weaponry and firepower found hidden in the apartment was unexpected.

ALLEGED STOLEN GOODS conviscated in Friday morning's raid. Photo by WPCNR News.

Commissioner Straub described the house as divided into compartments of illegal one-rooms in which 3 or 4 persons were housed. He said the Response Team discovered illegal kitchens, attic rooms, which Straub said the owner of the home was charging $300 to $400.