Posted on: October 09, 2026 10:00 AM

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Florida men indicted as major traffickers for possessing more than 300 kilograms of cocaine

Nassau County District Attorney Anne T. Donnelly announced two Florida men were indicted as major traffickers and charged with other drug possession offenses after police recovered more than 300 kilograms of cocaine from their vehicle in the parking lot of a Holiday Inn in Plainview in January.

 

Daniel Santana, 36, and Michael Viera, 41, were arraigned before Judge Robert Bogle on grand jury indictment charges of Operating as a Major Trafficker (an A-I felony); Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the First Degree (an A-I felony); Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Second Degree (an A-II felony); and two counts of Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree (a B felony).

 

The defendants pleaded not guilty and were remanded. They are due back in court on November 13, 2026. If convicted, the defendants each face up to 25 years to life in prison.

 

“Heads up police work ensured that these defendants – despite allegedly bringing more than 300 kilograms of cocaine into Nassau County – were never able to distribute their product on our streets,” said DA Donnelly. “This was undoubtedly one of the largest seizures of cocaine that I have been a part of in my career as a prosecutor and I thank the Nassau County Police Department for their tremendous work shutting down what could have been a very lucrative and very dangerous operation in our communities. Together, we will continue to root out narcotics trafficking in Nassau and protect our residents.”

 

DA Donnelly said, according to the indictment, on January 29, 2026, members of the Nassau County Police Department’s Narcotics and Vice squad were conducting an investigation outside of a Holiday Inn on Sunnyside Boulevard in Plainview.

 

Detectives observed a white Mercedes Benz Maybach SUV parked in the middle of the parking lot roadway and a black Dodge Ram pickup truck pulling into the parking lot shortly after.

 

Defendant Viera allegedly exited the Dodge Ram and transferred a large suitcase from the truck bed into the backseat of the truck and manipulated several large items, consistent with there being packaged narcotics placed into the suitcase.

 

Viera allegedly approached the driver’s side window of the Mercedes and passed a black package to the driver and the Mercedes drove off. Police attempted to stop the vehicle, but the driver refused to stop.

 

Detectives and officers approached the Dodge Ram where Viera and Santana were standing outside the open rear passenger side door. The pair slammed the door closed and began to walk away from the vehicle.

 

Police looked inside the truck and observed an open suitcase with approximately 40 to 60 black plastic wrapped brick-shaped rectangular objects consistent with the size and shape of a kilogram of narcotics.

 

Santana and Viera were both taken into custody.

 

A subsequent investigation discovered that Santana booked a room at the Holiday Inn on December 26, 2025, for a one-night stay on January 29, 2026, and checked into that room at approximately 8:45 p.m. that evening.

 

The Dodge Ram was transported to an NCPD facility and searched. Inside the passenger compartment was the open suitcase along with another closed suitcase. Four loose kilogram bricks were found within storage compartments in the rear passenger floor and another in the center console.

 

An additional four suitcases were recovered from the bed of the truck.

 

A lab report from the Office of the Medical Examiner’s Chemistry Section confirmed that the substances contained in the bricks were cocaine.

 

In total, 312 kilogram packages were recovered from the suitcases and from inside the vehicle.

 

NCDA thanks the Nassau County Police Department’s Narcotics and Vice Squad and Criminal Intelligence Rapid Response Team for their partnership in this investigation and prosecution.

 

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Breanna Niranjan of the Narcotics, Firearms, and Gangs Bureau, under the supervision of Bureau Chief Michelle Burke and under the overall supervision of Executive Assistant District Attorney for the Investigations Division Nichoas Mauro. Santana is represented by David Ayres, Esq. Viera is represented by Kevin Maccarone, Esq.

 

The charges are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless found guilty.

From DA