Suozzi: Hundreds of Guns, Thousands of Pills Handed in

Suozzi: Hundreds of guns, thousands of pills handed in

By Matthew Chayes

A pill bottle of narcotics in one fist and a semiautomatic pistol in the other, Nassau County Executive Thomas Suozzi Tuesday tallied up the proceeds of a government program to encourage people to rid themselves of old drugs and to sell their illegal guns:

Tens of thousands of pills came out of medicine cabinets, he said. Exactly 1,101 guns came off the streets and out of people's homes since the county began its gun buyback efforts last year. No questions asked or IDs checked.

Many of the guns were turned in for $200 each at churches, cash that came from the district attorney's office, asset forfeiture funds and donations from police unions representing officers and their supervisors.

"It takes teamwork to make the dream work," Suozzi said.

There was no payout for the drugs, but Suozzi said the program can prevent kids from getting hold of their elders' prescriptions.

The drug-disposal program began in North Hempstead, where Town Supervisor Jon Kaiman said the effort's original aim was to prevent the groundwater supply from being contaminated with sundry drugs flushed down the toilet.

In all, there were hundreds and hundreds of pounds in "unwanted pharmaceuticals" given to the authorities, said Nassau Police Commissioner Lawrence Mulvey. The proceeds will be incinerated, county officials said.

The county expanded the program on the theory that people who take heroin often start their drug habits with everyday household prescriptions and move on to hard-core drugs.

Kaiman said he was surprised at how many people at a recent event in New Hyde Park came to drop off drugs - painkillers, opiates and more.

"For seven hours," Kaiman said, "it was just cars streaming in."