MANHATTAN (PIX11) — What is viewed as sacred ground by New Yorkers was allegedly fertile ground for three entrepreneurial construction workers.

Port Authority Police say that all were turning profits by drug trafficking while on the job and out of the NYPD’s sight.

Port Authority officials telling PIX 11 News that Brian McDermott of Staten Island, Cesar Rivera of the Bronx and John Fama of Jersey City were arrested within an hour while reporting to work at the World Trade Center site Friday morning.

Neither one of the three put up resistance, as some were carrying more than a pound of marijuana which was ready to peddled to their hard-hat colleagues.

The investigation was launched more than seven months ago when a Port Authority Integrity Officer smelled pot smoke coming out of a portable toilet. That incident along with nearly a dozen deals thereafter by undercover detectives resulted in this morning’s arrests.

McDermott, Rivera and Fama are set to be arraigned Friday evening or Saturday at Manhattan Supreme Court according to a court clerk.

PIX 11 News did speak with close friends of Fama who said they were in shock after being informed of the arrest. They were trying to identify why someone who is a good guy, with a steady career and likes to play poker in Atlantic City dould do such a thing?

The arrests also generated questions surrounding safety on the job especially if workers were getting high on the job, as authorities alluded.

A point to consider when examining Fama’s Facebook profile. It has a caption besides an image of construction on the site dated February 16, 2012 that reads, “What happened to the crane, dropped something lol.”

Authorities tell PIX 11 News various drugs were snuck in via backpacks and lunch boxes. They also add that the investigation is ongoing.