Heidi Rodriguez, 48, a Bronx-based human services worker who police say was supposed to be helping vulnerable clients, is now at the center of a felony drug case after an undercover sting in White Plains.
Rodriguez was arrested on March 31 following a probe by the Westchester County Police Narcotics Unit, authorities said. Investigators allege she sold cocaine to undercover officers and now faces multiple felony counts, including first- and second-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance and third-degree criminal possession. She was taken into custody in White Plains and was scheduled to appear in White Plains City Court.
Investigators say Rodriguez made numerous sales to undercover officers totaling more than 100 grams of cocaine, according to Patch. The probe began, police told the outlet, after the Narcotics Unit learned she was allegedly using her position with her employer to promote drug sales.
As reported by Daily Voice, Rodriguez works for an organization that assists people with mental health needs and other human services, although police did not name the employer. The outlet reports she was taken into custody in White Plains and was expected to be arraigned in White Plains City Court the following day.
Police: She Used Her Job To Facilitate Sales
Rodriguez is accused of “using her role with her employer to help facilitate drug sales,” police said, according to Daily Voice. Investigators with the county narcotics unit told the outlet the alleged deals unfolded over a series of undercover buys that culminated in her March 31 arrest.
Charges And Next Steps
Rodriguez faces felony counts that carry serious penalties if she is convicted, and authorities said she was scheduled to be arraigned in White Plains City Court. The charges include criminal sale of a controlled substance in the first and second degrees and criminal possession of a controlled substance in the third degree, according to Patch. As with all criminal cases, the allegations have not been proven in court, and Rodriguez is presumed innocent unless and until she is convicted.
The arrest is the latest in a string of narcotics enforcement actions in Westchester County. Earlier this month, local authorities and federal partners intercepted a 12-kilogram package of cocaine that was reportedly bound for White Plains, a seizure detailed by Yonkers Times, highlighting ongoing efforts to cut the drug supply across the county.
