NEW YORK – A New York Police Department (NYPD) officer is facing charges for allegedly selling fentanyl and heroin, with some drug deal conversations taking place while she was working. Grace Rosa Baez, 37, of the Bronx and her boyfriend Cesar Martinez, 43, of Yonkers, each face one count of conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and heroin and three counts of narcotics distribution.
According to court documents, Baez and Martinez communicated with a person they believed to be a drug trafficker on several occasions between October 9 to October 19. Unbeknownst to them, this source was, in fact, cooperating with law enforcement.
In the course of these conversations, Baez and Martinez proposed selling substantial quantities of fentanyl, heroin, and cocaine to this source, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. During one meeting, Baez sold the source a plastic candy container with fentanyl inside.
The next day Baez allegedly sold the source heroin and said that she had additional heroin available for sale through her boyfriend, Martinez. Martinzez then called the source and negotiated the sale of approximately one kilogram of heroin and 800 grams of fentanyl. Prosecutors say he also said that he would have cocaine for sale in the following weeks.
When Baez met the source, court documents allege that she sold one kilogram of suspected heroin, 640 grams of suspected fentanyl, and an additional, separate sample of suspected fentanyl, as shown below:
Following Baez’s arrest, court documents reveal that when law enforcement approached the shared apartment of Baez and Martinez, they saw a package containing suspected narcotics being tossed from inside the apartment to the outside. Upon entering the apartment, authorities found a kilogram press machine and additional suspected narcotics, which Martinez had apparently also tried to throw outside.
Baez resigned from the NYPD on Sunday. She had been an officer with the department since 2012 but had been placed on modified duty after alleged misconduct in 2020. The U.S. Attorney’s Office said that she was on modified desk duty at an NYPD facility during the investigation.
“Grace Rosa Baez took an oath to protect and serve the people of New York City. As alleged, she flagrantly violated that oath by pushing poison, including fentanyl and heroin, which are driving the nation’s deadly opioid crisis and have been responsible for thousands of tragic deaths in this city and around the nation,” said U.S. Attorney Damian Williams.