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Detectives from the NJSP Opioid Enforcement Task Force (OETF) at first focused on Luis M. Cuebas, 28, who they said ran the operation in Garfield with Victoria L. Rodriguez, also 28.
Cuebas supplied a large amount of drugs in Lodi to Jasmin R. Willis, 29, of Manchester, whom they stopped soon after on the southbound Garden State Parkway in Middletown.
In her vehicle, Willis had the 5,000 heroin folds, they said.
Other detectives at the same time stopped Cuebas in Secaucus and said they found him carrying $9,497 in suspected drug cash.
Following the arrests, investigators from the NJSP Trafficking North Unit, along with State Police T.E.A.M.S, K9 and hazmat units, did a warranted search in Garfield after seeing Rodriguez "move several large bags of evidence from one address on Sherman Place to another," the agency said in a release.
A search of both homes turned up $17,171 in drug proceeds, eight rubber stamps used to brand packaged heroin, grinders, wax folds, and ink pads, they said.
State Police charged all three with various drug counts, Cuebas and Rodriguez with money laundering, and Rodriguez with destruction of evidence.
Cuebas was sent to the Bergen County Jail to await a detention hearing.
Willis and Rodriguez were released pending first appearances in Central Judicial Processing Court in Hackensack.
Since October 2018, the OETF has conducted 87 operations and seized:
- more than 670,850 individual doses of packaged opioids valued at $3,354,250;
- more than 71 kilograms of raw heroin valued at $4,267,740;
- more than 23 kilograms of fentanyl valued at $1,150,900;
- more than 44,000 fentanyl based pills valued at $443,710;
- more than 24 kilograms of cocaine valued at $859,950;
- more than $1,754,000 cash;
- 47 firearms.
The OETF has also disrupted or dismantled 23 fully operational opioid packaging facilities, a fully operational fentanyl pill pressing operation, and arrested 181 suspects.
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