Gambling Ring Bust Leads Police to Recover Weapons, Narcotics

Police have recovered weapons, narcotics and more than $120,000 after having executed warrants in the wake of an illegal gambling ring bust last week, the Queens district attorney said.

Ridgewood’s Benny Maldonado, Woodhaven’s Rosa Rincon, Ozone Park’s Saul Montalvo, Corona’s Daniel Montalvo and the Bronx’s Juan Arisa were all arrested last week on a variety of charges, including enterprise corruption, promoting gambling and possession of gambling records, Queens DA Richard Brown said.

But after executing search warrants in the case since the arrests, police have recovered hundreds of narcotics pills, such as Oxycontin and Percocet as well as six weapons, including a 9mm Taurus pistol and a .45 caliber Ruger, and more than $120,000 in cash.

“With the execution of these search warrants, we have taken six more deadly weapons off the streets of Queens County,” the DA said. “An investigation that started with illegal gambling has now led to the recovery of a deadly and dangerous combination of guns and drugs.”

The gambling operation, which include betting parlors and runners, was brought down by police following a six-month investigation that utilized wiretaps and physical surveillance.

Members of the ring allegedly handled approximately $3,000 a day in bets and as much as $1 million per year.

If convicted, each defendant faces up to 25 years in prison, Brown said.