Two Newark sanitation workers got fired after they were arrested and charged with possession of heroin.
Police made the arrests around midnight. According to authorities, the two suspects were busted with a large quantity of heroin while driving on a street in Newark, New Jersey.
Detectives with the Newark Special Enforcement Bureau reportedly saw the suspects in a Dodge Charger that was traveling at a high rate of speed and driving recklessly along 15th Avenue.
Law enforcement pulled over the car and spoke with the driver. During a subsequent search of the vehicle, police allegedly found 256 decks of heroin.
One of the suspects is a 35-year-old man from Newark NJ; the other suspect is a 23-year-old man, also from Newark. They have been charged with several drug offenses, including heroin possession and possession of a controlled dangerous substance (CDS) in a motor vehicle.
Additionally, the suspect who was driving the vehicle has been cited for a number of traffic violations, including reckless driving and speeding.
After the suspects were criminally charged in the case, the Newark Department of Public Safety fired them from their jobs as city sanitation workers. The suspects had been employed with the city since April 2016.
If the suspects are ultimately convicted on the most serious criminal charges of heroin possession, they would be in store for severe penalties. As set forth by N.J.S.A. 2C:35-10, possession of even a trace amount of heroin is a third degree felony that carries a potential punishment of 3-5 years in New Jersey State Prison.
For further information about this case, see the NJ.com article, “2 Lose Newark Sanitation Jobs after Heroin Arrest, Officials Say.”
