Florida men indicted on felony drug counts after police seize 312 kilos of cocaine in Plainview

Two Florida men have been indicted as major drug traffickers after police officers caught the pair earlier this year allegedly trying to transfer cocaine between a Dodge truck and a Mercedes in a Plainview Holiday Inn parking lot.

The men, Daniel Santana, 36, and Michael Viera, 41, who have been jailed since their initial arrest Jan. 29, were arraigned Thursday, pleaded not guilty and were ordered back to jail, the Nassau County District Attorney’s Office wrote in a news release.

Charges against the pair include the felony crimes of operating as a major trafficker and criminal possession of a controlled substance in connection with the 312 kilogram packages of cocaine the police allegedly found.

That amount of cocaine — over 688 pounds — weighs roughly about as much as a commercial refrigerator/freezer.

Police officers who were in the vicinity of the Holiday Inn lot allegedly saw the men transferring objects with a suitcase, passing a package and acting otherwise suspiciously, the release said.

Santana’s lawyer, David Ayres, questioned the narrative put out by the district attorney’s office. While he declined to comment on the merits of the case, he said: “Everything is not as it appears to be.”

Viera’s lawyer Kevin Maccarone declined to comment through a paralegal at the office.

By Matthew Chayes

matthew.chayes@newsday.comchayesmatthew

Matthew Chayes, a Newsday reporter since 2007, covers New York City.