A drug crew strictly observed the Jewish Sabbath each week while dealing prescription painkillers, heroin and other drugs in New York City, authorities said last week in announcing charges against five men.
Investigators cited mass text messages sent to customers warning them to get their orders in before sundown Friday or else wait until after sundown Saturday.
‘‘We are closing at 7:30 on the dot and we will reopen on Saturday at 8:15 so if u need anything you have 45 mins to get what you want,’’ one text read, according to the city’s Special Narcotics Prosecutor’s Office.
An indictment charged the Jewish men using stolen prescription sheets and other means to obtain 23,000 oxycodone pills with a street value of $460,000.
It also accused them of distributing heroin with the name ‘‘DOB,’’ and of using the code name ‘‘white girl’’ to refer to cocaine.
In another text from April to 50 people, the Brooklyn men allegedly wrote, ‘‘Awesome batch of DOB just came in!!! Open now till 7:30.’’
Investigators dubbed the five-month investigation Only After Sundown.