WASH. ‘SNARE’ PK.
Cops seize drugs & bust 5 suspects
A police crackdown at problem-plagued Washington Square Park netted a stash of drugs and the arrests of repeat offenders, NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea said Wednesday.
Police said five people were nabbed in the Tuesday sweep of the Greenwich Village green space, which has been the site of massive rowdy, drug-fueled and occasionally violent parties this summer.
“The community spoke & your cops heard you!” Shea tweeted.
“@NYPDDetectives operation in Washington Square Park led to the recovery of crystal meth, crack & 6 narco-related arrests, including: 2 men already on parole, 1 man w/ a felony warrant, & over 150 prior arrests in the group.”
The suspects arrested included Elijah Anderson, 26, Dimitri Konstant, 55, Matthew Pritchell, 51, all of Manhattan, and Charles Singleton, 53, of The Bronx.
All four were charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance, police said.
Also busted was Jean Auguste, 33, who was charged with possession of a controlled substance and possession with intent to sell, police said.
The NYPD only provided information for five arrests — in contrast to Shea’s mention of six arrests. Cops did not specify which of the suspects had prior arrests, nor if the 150 prior busts applied to all five collectively.
The beloved — but beleaguered — park has been a nightmare for cops and locals all summer as revelers have flooded the area, hold27,
ing all-night booze-filled dance parties and even unsanctioned boxing matches.
Cops tried to crack down on noise and debauchery with a midnight curfew in June, but the parties raged on.
In one instance, on June three food vendors were attacked outside the park. The crowd, which descended on the area after Pride Parade celebrations, demanded one vendor put up a Pride flag in place of his American flag.
“I called the cops. They didn’t want to come,” Abdo Mansour told The Post at the time. “The cops stayed right there.”
Locals have complained that the city has done little to combat the open-air drug use and homelessness at the landmark park.
Between May 31 and midAugust, five people were found dead in Washington Square Park, with officials suspecting a link to an influx of fentanyl in street drugs.