N.Y. Judiciary Law § 177-b: Special narcotics parts; establishment

§ 177-b. Special narcotics parts; establishment. 1. There shall be

established in cities having a population of one million or more in the

supreme court special narcotics parts in such numbers and at such

locations as shall be designated by the administrative board of the

judicial conference of the state of New York to effectuate the purposes

of this article. Such parts shall hear and determine narcotics

indictments assigned thereto from any part of the supreme court in any

county within such cities.

As used in this article, "narcotics indictment" means an indictment

charging a crime that is prosecutable in any county wholly contained in

a city within cities having a population of one million or more

involving the sale or possession of a narcotic drug and any other

offense properly joined therewith.

2. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, upon or after

arraignment on a narcotics indictment filed in the supreme court in any

county within such cities and before entry of a plea of guilty or

commencement of trial, such supreme court may order that the indictment

and action be assigned to a special narcotics part of the supreme court.

3. The trial of an indictment in a special narcotics part shall for

all purposes be deemed to be a trial in the county in which the

indictment was filed, but the administrative board of the judicial

conference may promulgate rules, orders or regulations to be applicable

to such parts in place and instead of the rules, orders or regulations

applicable to courts in the county where the indictment was filed. The

administrative board shall provide by rule, order or regulation for at

least the following matters: the procedure of the part; its auxiliary

services; the assignment of judicial personnel; the appointment of

terms; and transmittal of all papers in the action, including all

undertakings for appearances of the defendant and of the witnesses, to

the part of the supreme court to which the action has been assigned.