Essex County NJ law enforcement arrested nine people suspected of being involved with multiple illegal drug distribution organizations that operated in Newark, New Jersey.
Authorities conducted raids during the early morning hours after concluding an investigation that lasted months. The raids, and subsequent arrests, were the culmination of a lengthy investigation by the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office Narcotics Task Force. The special task force includes police officers from several local police departments throughout Essex County, including Newark, Belleville, and Bloomfield.
Newark police also reportedly seized large amounts of illegal drugs, a number of motor vehicles, and almost $500K in cash during the drug raids.
Additionally, a total of nine suspects were placed under arrest. The suspects, all of whom are said to be involved with various narcotics distribution organizations, include eight people from Newark NJ and a 29-year-old Bayonne NJ man.
The suspects have been charged with different criminal offenses, including heroin possession, heroin distribution, cocaine possession, simple possession of marijuana, distribution of a controlled dangerous substance (CDS) near a school, and money laundering.
Some of the suspects were also charged with various weapons offenses, such as unlawful possession of a weapon, because law enforcement allegedly discovered the men carrying illegal handguns.
According to officials, five suspects believed to be involved in criminal drug enterprises still remain at-large. Four of the suspects hail from Newark, while one lives in Irvington, New Jersey.
For more information about this case, view the NJ.com article, “9 Arrested, Nearly $500K Seized in Pre-Dawn Newark Drug Raids.”
