The Westchester sting that netted $10 million in cocaine, $800,000 in cash and the rap artist’s tour bus that carted the haul began as a minor gang arrest that snowballed into a major drug investigation, authorities said yesterday.
Cops had no idea what they were on to when they busted a few gang members in Mount Vernon in the fall of 2002.
“It became clear to us that there was another level,” said Westchester County District Attorney Jeanine Pirro. “It sounded like people were buying and selling drugs. That’s why we started moving up the ladder.”
Eighteen months, several wiretaps and a bunch of search warrants later, cops busted a $50 million-a-year cocaine distribution network highlighted by a hip-hop tour bus allegedly used to cart cocaine from city to city.
Although her name and scantily clad image are emblazoned on the side of the white RV, rapper Gloria Velez, 24, has not been charged in the drug sting. Her Bronx manager, Charles Gant, the alleged mastermind, and three associates face 25 years to life on felony charges.
Pirro said the drugs were hidden in a secret compartment under the RV’s bed that was raised by a hydraulic lift.
Velez, who sources said toured with the bus on a recent trip to Los Angeles, could not be reached for comment.