A man licensed to work the backstretch area of Saratoga Race Course is facing federal drug charges after police say he spent the summer racing season selling crystal methamphetamine and cocaine right on the property. Francisco Pabon-Parilla, a 56-year-old Saratoga Springs resident, was arrested on September 2 with more than two ounces of crystal meth on him, and a subsequent search of his home turned up far more drugs and an illegal handgun, according to investigators.
Police said the investigation began over the summer after authorities were tipped off to someone selling crystal methamphetamine and cocaine on New York Racing Association property, according to News10. Investigators went on to observe Pabon-Parilla allegedly selling narcotics at the racecourse, where he was employed, the station reported. WRGB reported that Pabon-Parilla was licensed to work the backstretch area at Saratoga Race Course, though the station specified he was not a NYRA employee himself.
Drugs Sold in Employee Areas of the Track
Investigators and DEA Task Force members arrested Pabon-Parilla at the racecourse on September 2, finding more than two ounces of crystal methamphetamine on him at the time, according to WNYT. The station reported that he sold crystal methamphetamine and cocaine in the employee-designated areas of the racecourse, where he had been employed.
A search of his home under warrant turned up far more than what he was carrying at the track. Police said they found an illegally possessed 9mm handgun, about 10 ounces of crystal methamphetamine and two ounces of cocaine, per the same station's report. Pabon-Parilla was federally charged with possession with intent to distribute controlled substances, and police said he was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service, according to News10.
Investigation Stayed Confined to the Backstretch
Police recognized NYRA for cooperating with the investigation, which they said was confined to the backstretch area of the race course rather than spreading to other parts of the property or operations. The backstretch, where grooms, hot walkers and other workers live and labor alongside the horses during racing season, has drawn separate scrutiny this year: The Daily Gazette reported that backstretch workers are credentialed by NYRA to work at Saratoga, Belmont Park and Aqueduct but are not technically NYRA employees, a distinction that leaves their specific working arrangements murky.
That same backstretch has become the focus of a labor organizing push. Organizer Gilberto Mendoza said he has gathered 675 signatures on a petition to unionize the workers, according to The Daily Gazette. The paper also noted that a 2008 New York State Department of Labor investigation found widespread violations of minimum wage and overtime laws affecting Saratoga backstretch workers.
Other Saratoga Springs Drug Cases Surface
Pabon-Parilla's arrest was one of several drug cases police disclosed together this week. News10 reported on a separate DEA investigation tied to TruCutz Barbershop that resulted in the seizure of more than eight ounces of cocaine and over $10,000 in alleged narcotics sales profits.
In another unrelated case, authorities said a man named Benjamin Gutierrez-Fuentes was found at a local gas station on October 1, and a search of his vehicle turned up 5.3 grams of cocaine packaged for sale, per WNYT's report. Authorities said that investigation alone removed more than eight ounces of cocaine from the community.
