Francisco Flores, 46, a former Brooklyn police sergeant, was arrested at his Staten Island home and ordered detained

Francisco Flores, 46, a former Brooklyn police sergeant, was arrested at his Staten Island home and ordered detained until a Friday bail hearing, according to a news release from the New Jersey District of the U.S. Attorney’s Office.The second suspect, Eduardo Baez, 36, of Brooklyn was arrested Wednesday afternoon and will likely appear in federal court today. Joseph James, 45, and Paul Nunez-Vargas, 32, both of Brooklyn were arrested August 27 and released on bail in connection with the alleged conspiracy, according to the news release.Federal authorities said the four men traveled from New York City to Elizabeth, N.J. August 12 in three separate cars -- snaking up and down dead end street to evade law enforcement surveillance -- as they scouted a neighborhood where they planned to buy drugs.The suspect’s driving didn’t fool federal agents who had been watching the group.“Based on my training and experience I recognize this driving pattern as counter-surveillance commonly used by narcotics traffickers to detect the presence of law enforcement,” one ICE Special Agent said in a criminal complaint.As agents watched, James exited a Mercedes carrying a plastic bag. He was confronted by authorities and said he was in the area to “do something that I know I shouldn’t be doing,” and to “buy three keys,” referring to cocaine, according to the complaint.Nunez-Vargas was in the same car and made similar statements to agents. Investigators reported they found $75,000 in the plastic bag and $22,500 in the Mercedes after the men consented to a search.
Flores, the retired sergeant, and Baez were stopped in a nearby convenience store. Both men allowed agents to search their cars with $500 in cash was found in Flores’ and a hidden compartment was found in Beaz’s car, according to a news release.According to the criminal complaint, Flores told agents he had recently retired from the NYPD and claimed he was in the area to purchase a motorcycle with friends in the Mercedes. Agents said he later changed his story and denied knowing the other men arrested. All four men have been charged with “conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine,” and could face up to 40 years in prison if convicted, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

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