Bear smack; go figure

Samuel Goldsmith has an article in the New York Daily News about a bizarre drug scheme:

Authorities on Saturday announced a massive heroin bust in the Bronx, where dealers were moving millions of dollars in dope inside Build-A-Bear dolls. The drugs were packaged in tiny glassine bags and branded with names like Barack Obama, Swine Flu, and Crime 360.
"The agents walked in and there's heroin and all the dime bags and the Build-A-Bears just sitting there," said Erin Mulvey, spokesperson for the Drug Enforcement Administration. State, local, and federal law enforcement officers seized 33 pounds of heroin with a street value of about $33 million and arrested twelve people on Friday. The suspects are waiting to be arraigned.
"It's a huge shock," said Mario Amesqui, 54, who lives in the same building as one of the Riverdale apartments raided on Friday. "My daughter has one of those toys. I'm very surprised something like that was going on right here and I'm especially surprised it was a Build-A-Bear."
Authorities said the heroin suppliers sliced open the backs of the bears and filled the cuddly toys with the deadly smack, and estimate the operation sold at least 44 pounds of dope before the bust, which was the culmination of a three month investigation. DEA spokesperson Mulvey said all the smack was American made. "We've seen a big increase in heroin use throughout the tri-state area in recent months, especially in the suburbs," she said. Mulvey says many of the drugs found on individuals in recent months came from this operation. "This is a good opportunity to tell kids that heroin is not a good thing," said Mulvey.
Agents say the dealers moved thousands of square inch dime bags inside the Build-A-Bears every week from their safe house on Carpenter Avenue in the Bronx. Agents also seized $150,000 in cash, various drug paraphernalia, weapons, and incriminating documents at the five homes they raided. The ring leader was identified as Yeffery Alba of 735 Pelham Parkway. He and eleven other defendants, ranging in age from 26 to 39, are charged with criminal possession and conspiracy, and were arraigned on Saturday night.
The create your own teddy bears are staples of malls across the country. At Build-A-Bear Workshops, kids can make fully customized dolls with their choice of stuffing, stitching, features, clothes and even sounds. A spokesman from Build-A-Bear headquarters in St. Louis could not be reached for comment.