Heaps of ketamine, MDMA and illegal weed were seized by authorities as they busted a drug lab in Queens and arrested the ringleader of the dangerous narcotics operation, prosecutors said Friday.
Xing Li, 40, who allegedly led the major trafficking scheme, was arrested along with three other accused drug peddlers Thursday following a 16-month investigation dubbed “Operation Frostbite,” the Queens District Attorney’s Office said.
The group, allegedly led by Li, of Flushing, sold and stored the dissociative anesthetic ketamine, MDMA, commonly known as ecstasy, and cannabis in various locations across Queens and Manhattan, according to prosecutors.
They were busted through a series of buys from undercover officers totaling $26,000 between June 2023 and April 2024, prosecutors alleged.
Two separate search warrants in July and October also led to the seizure of more than 30 kilograms of ketamine, 600 grams of MDMA, and over 100 pounds of cannabis, according to the DA’s office.
The four suspects — including Quan Ni, 24, and Raymond Nam, 36, of Flushing, and Kaiyu Huang, 36, of Manhattan — were indicted on a slew of charges, including conspiracy, criminal sale and possession of controlled substances and criminal possession of cannabis.
Li, the accused ringleader of the operation, faces an additional charge of operating as a major trafficker, according to court records.
“Those who choose to peddle poison in Queens are on notice: my office will meticulously dismantle drug rings and take drugs off the streets,” DA Melinda Katz said in a statement.
Katz praised the NYPD and investigators in her office’s Major Economic Crime Bureau for their role in the bust.
“I thank members of my Major Economic Crimes Bureau and the NYPD for their work in bringing these individuals to justice. I also extend my deepest gratitude to the undercover officers who risked their safety to gather critical evidence in this case,” DA Katz said.
If convicted, Li faces a maximum prison term of 15 years to life.
The other three accused face three to 10 years in prison, if convicted.
The accused drug peddlers are due back in Queens Supreme Criminal Court on February 7.