Officer Samuel Evans arrested the trio when they showed up Thursday night in a parking lot near the Rock Road central business district after arranging a deal on social media, Police Chief Dean Ackermann said.
Police recovered just over an ounce of marijuana and hash oil vape cartridges that had been offered for sale, he said.
Arrested were Mutaz M. Saleh and Musbah N. Zakkour, 24, both of Clifton, and Justin W. Cortese, 22, of Passaic.
All three were charged with drug-related offenses and released pending a June 12 first appearance in Central Judicial Processing at the Superior Court in Hackensack.
Detective Sgt. James Calaski worked the case. Assisting in the arrests were Sgt. Greg Carter and Officers Will Holguin, Sarah Orsita and T.J. Graziani. Lt. Frank Riggio was in operational command.
“This arrest should serve as a reminder to parents of the importance of monitoring their children’s social media and smart phone activity,” Ackermann said.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Hackensack and receive free news updates.