Former NYPD Officer Charged with Selling Heroin and Fentanyl While on Duty
Grace Rosa Báez, a former New York Police Department officer, has been formally charged with conspiracy to distribute narcotics and distribution of narcotics. The charges come after Báez was arrested in October for allegedly selling heroin and fentanyl while on duty.
Báez, along with César Martínez, was put behind bars after allegedly trying to sell the narcotics to a federal informant between Oct. 9 and Oct. 19. The indictment, filed on March 20 in Manhattan federal court, states that Báez gave the informant a sample of “high quality” fentanyl in a container of Mentos candy. She later attempted to sell them a kilo of heroin for $25,000 and 800 grams of fentanyl.
Having been a police officer since 2012, Báez met with the informant multiple times, as detailed in court documents. She resigned from the NYPD after her arrest and is currently under house arrest with an electronic monitoring device.
Martínez, her accomplice, is jailed without bail according to court documents. Both Báez and Martínez pleaded not guilty to the charges this week.
Grace Rosa Báez, of Dominican origin, has gone from serving the community as a police officer to facing serious criminal charges. The case has raised concerns about drug trafficking within law enforcement and the integrity of those sworn to protect and serve the public.