Former ‘Cop of the Year’ busted on coke-trafficking charges



By Matt McNulty

Officer Philip LeRoy was the "Cop of the Year" in the 114th Precinct two years ago. Photo: Facebook

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A Queens police officer who once won his precinct’s “Cop of the Year’’ award has been busted on cocaine-trafficking charges, sources said Tuesday.
Officer Philip LeRoy, who works in the 114th Precinct, was nabbed just before midnight Monday in Sunrise City, Fla., with two other men while allegedly buying 10 kilos of cocaine, sources told The Post.
LeRoy — the son of a retired detective — allegedly drove from New York with the intent to buy drugs in the Sunshine State and had his off-duty weapon on him at the time.
“Sunrise PD does this thing called forfeiture, which are like reverse drug-deal stings, where cops pose as dealers selling very cheap cocaine. They’re known for these kind of big busts,” a police source said.
“You got to be pretty stupid to do this deal in Sunrise.”
LeRoy, 28, was charged with felony weapons possession, cocaine trafficking and conspiracy to traffic cocaine, according to court records. His bail was set at $250,000.
The NYPD suspended the cop early Tuesday, authorities said.
He is in jail awaiting formal charges to be brought by state prosecutors, which could take up to 21 days, said an official at the Broward County Clerk’s Office.
Two years ago, LeRoy was picked from more than 100 officers in his precinct to win its “Cop of the Year” award, according to a report at the time.
“As a member of the anti-crime unit, P.O. Leroy has made more than two dozen arrests so far this year for things like robbery and gun possession,” said then-Police Commissioner Ray Kelly in praising the cop.
‘You got to be pretty stupid to do this deal in Sunrise, [Florida].’
 - Police source
LeRoy, who lives in Queens, racked up 188 arrests between January 2009 — when he joined the NYPD — and June 2012.
On Facebook, the disgraced cop has posed for photos with a flashy black Infiniti and some featuring his chiseled abs while he’s surrounded by voluptuous women.
In one picture from 2012, he stands next to a wall emblazoned with the NYPD shield and the words “The Greatest Detectives.”
His family didn’t return messages seeking comment.
A woman who answered the door at his Queens Village address said the family didn’t live there.
LeRoy’s alleged accomplices, Richard Quintanilla and Brian Espinal, are accused of negotiating the deal, sources said.
Quintanilla, 35, and Espinal, 27, were each charged with trafficking cocaine and conspiracy to traffic cocaine.
Additional reporting by Larry Celona and Kirstan Conley