Heroin, Fentanyl, Crack Seized In Nassau House Search: Police

WANTAGH, NY — Two Wantagh men were arrested last week after police said they found crack, heroin and fentanyl inside a home as part of an operation in Nassau County's War Against Opioids.

Police searched a home on Wantagh Avenue, near Lufberry Avenue, around 8:15 p.m. Friday, Nassau County police said Monday. The search, part of Operation Natalie, uncovered narcotics and various drug paraphernalia, which were seized, police said. Michael Merlo, 29, and Frank Merlo, 33, were at the home and arrested without incident, police said.

Both face charges of two counts of 3rd-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, two counts of 4th-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, and 7th-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance. They appeared in Mineola court Saturday and were scheduled to return to court in mid-October, online court records showed.

Online public records showed both Merlos served time behind bars following drug-related convictions.

Michael Merlo was released on conditional parole in September 2019 after serving about eight months at Moriah Shock Incarceration Correctional Facility in Mineville. He had been convicted of drug-dealing.

Frank Merlo was released on conditional parole in October 2013 after serving about seven months at Monterey Shock Incarceration Correctional Facility in the Town of Orange. He had been convicted of drug possession.

Fentanyl, one of the drugs police said they found, is a powerful opioid painkiller that's up to 50 times more potent than heroin.

Synthetic opioids such as fentanyl are among the most common drugs involved in drug overdose deaths in the United States, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. In 2017, about 60 percent of opioid-related deaths involved fentanyl compared to just 14 percent in 2010.

Illicit fentanyl most often associated with the spate of overdoses is made in labs, officials said. The synthetic fentanyl is sold unlawfully typically as a powder, dropped onto blotter paper, put in eye droppers and nasal sprays, or made into pills that look like other prescription opioids.

"Some drug dealers are mixing fentanyl with other drugs, such as heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine, and MDMA," the national drug abuse institute said. "This is because it takes very little to produce a high with fentanyl, making it a cheaper option. This is especially risky when people taking drugs don’t realize they might contain fentanyl as a cheap but dangerous additive. They might be taking stronger opioids than their bodies are used to and can be more likely to overdose."