They’re cute, fuzzy — and stuffed with smack.
A massive Bronx drug cartel was busted today for using brown teddy bears to move more than $30 million worth of heroin throughout New York and New Jersey each week, the Drug Enforcement Agency said.
The feds arrested 13 people and raided five different addresses after a four-month investigation, said John Gilbride, the special agent in charge of the DEA’s New York office.
Eleven criminals were stuffing heroin into Build-a-Bear brand toys when the feds barged in to 4254 Carpenter Avenue in the Bronx.
The heroin — sold under the nams Barack Obama, Swine Flu and Crime 360 — would eventually be put on the street for sale.
The crooks were cutting open the backs of the bears on a glass table and filling the innocent toys with the highly addictive drug.
Also found at the scene were colorfully-wrapped small cubes of uncut heroin and clear packages of it ready for sale.
Bronx resident Yeffrey Alba was doling out 15-20 kilograms of heroin each week to groups who would push it throughout the region, the DEA said.
The drugs were stored at 505 W. 164th St. in Manhattan, the DEA said.
Another Bronx address,1540 Pelham Pky S., also acted as a processing center along with the apartment on Carpenter Street, the DEA said.
Agents also confiscated about $150,000 in cash.