North Merrick mother and son arrested on drug charges

Officers from Nassau County Police Department’s 1st Precinct last night arrested Denise Burke, 49, and her son Jamie Burke, 17, of North Merrick, on charges of heroin possession.

According to 1st Precinct officials, the Burkes were traveling in a 1999 Toyota Camry on Bellmore Avenue in North Merrick when police officers stopped their car for following too closely to another car, a traffic infraction. The officers then found the mother and son to allegedly possess eight envelopes of heroin.

Both defendants were due to be arraigned on charges of criminal possession of a controlled substance in the seventh degree on Tuesday in First District Court in Hempstead. Jamie Burke was also charged with operating a motor vehicle as an unlicensed driver and following too closely.