Officer Held as Drug Crew Conspirator
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A New York City police officer is facing federal conspiracy charges after a city and federal investigation alleged that he aided a band of thieving drug dealers who preyed on other drug dealers.
Police Officer Darren Moonan, who was assigned to the Richmond Hill section of Queens, allegedly used his badge to assist six other men in a series of robberies and drug deals in New York City, Nassau County, and Pennsylvania over about a seven month period starting in December 2006, according to a complaint unsealed on July 9 by the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York.
Officer Moonan was arrested July 8 on charges of conspiracy to distribute narcotics and conspiracy to commit robberies of drugs and drug proceeds from narcotics traffickers, the complaint filed by the office of U.S. Attorney Michael Garcia said. If convicted, Officer Moonan faces a maximum sentence of 60 years in prison.
Officer Moonan’s alleged crew of six, which also was charged with offenses in the complaint, is alleged to have stolen at least $810,000 and 200 pounds of marijuana during the spree, according to the complaint.
The charges, filed in U.S. District Court in Manhattan, also accuse Officer Moonan of providing the dealers with security from other law enforcement. On several occasions, using his badge to avoid searches, he allegedly drove stolen drug money away from the sites of burglaries and robberies, Mr. Garcia’s office charges.
In one incident, Officer Moonan allegedly drove a crew of dealers to a Pennsylvania truck stop where they robbed about $420,000 in drug proceeds from a truck driver who had just brought a stash over the Canadian border, according to the complaint. Officer Moonan then allegedly drove the crew back to New York.
Wiretaps set up by the Federal Bureau of Investigation caught Officer Moonan in a series of incriminating conversations with the dealers, the complaint alleges.
In one conversation, which FBI investigators believe took place before a drug deal, Officer Moonan is said to have offered his assistance to a cohort should something go wrong, according to the complaint.
“Okay, you want me over there, you want me in the background, you want me floating around, or what?” the complaint alleges Officer Moonan said. “I’ll be around right over there, call me when you need me.”
