Tag:

Opioid Epidemic

Fetty Wap Trafficked 100 Kilos Of Opioids Across US, Federal Officials Say Fetty Wap Trafficked 100 Kilos Of Opioids Across US, Federal Officials Say
Fetty Wap Trafficked 100 Kilos Of Opioids Across US, Federal Officials Say New Jersey rapper Fetty Wap was among six men charged with running an elaborate cross-country drug distribution ring out of Long Island, authorities announced Friday. The rapper, whose real name is Willie Junior Maxwell II, was arrested Thursday by FBI agents at Citi Field. An indictment was unsealed in Central Islip federal court Friday, Oct. 29, charging six men with conspiring to distribute and possess controlled substances, including five of them also charged for using weapons in connection to drug trafficking. The six men distributed more than 100 kilograms of cocaine, heroin, fe…
NJ, NY, PA Among States Sharing Historic $4.3B Purdue Pharma Settlement NJ, NY, PA Among States Sharing Historic $4.3B Purdue Pharma Settlement
NJ, NY, PA Among States Sharing Historic $4.3B Purdue Pharma Settlement Oxycontin-maker Purdue Pharma has reached an historic $4.3 billion settlement with New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and a dozen other states that one attorney general said involved the “most that individuals have ever paid for breaking the law.” New Jersey expects to receive more than $110 million from the deal, state Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal said Thursday. As part of the settlement, the Sackler family must surrender ownership of the bankrupt drug company. They also must release more than 30 million family and Purdue Pharma documents that outline their roles in an opioid epidemi…
Authorities: Ring Got 30,000 Painkiller Pills With Prescription Blanks Swiped From NJ Hospitals Authorities: Ring Got 30,000 Painkiller Pills With Prescription Blanks Swiped From NJ Hospitals
Authorities: Ring Got 30,000 Painkiller Pills With Prescription Blanks Swiped From NJ Hospitals Using prescription blanks stolen from hospitals in Bergen and Passaic counties, a crew used a single pharmacy to get its hands on 30,000 high-dose oxycodone pills, including a year’s worth of painkillers prescribed to a dead man, authorities charged. The volume eventually gave them away, state and federal law enforcement officials said. Milagros Santiago, 43, of Haledon, was working as a pharmacy technician at St. Joseph’s Regional Medical Center in Paterson when she swiped prescription blanks, state Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal said. The forged blanks were then filled at Panther Vall…
Bergen Prosecutor: New Task Force Will Help Build Trust Between Local Police, Citizens Bergen Prosecutor: New Task Force Will Help Build Trust Between Local Police, Citizens
Bergen Prosecutor: New Task Force Will Help Build Trust Between Local Police, Citizens Using one of the most effective tools in crimefighting – the task force -- Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella is vowing to foster better communication between local police and the citizens they protect. "We must think differently about policing and how we can best serve our communities," the prosecutor's Chief of Detectives Robert Anzilotti said. Already in place was the BCPO’s Community Affairs Unit, which Anzilotti said has: coordinated presentations for schools and communities groups on topics ranging from the dangers of opioids to Internet safety; fostered relationships with clergy…
Feds Accuse South Jersey Jail Of Violating Addicted Inmates' Constitutional Rights Feds Accuse South Jersey Jail Of Violating Addicted Inmates' Constitutional Rights
Feds Accuse South Jersey Jail Of Violating Addicted Inmates' Constitutional Rights The federal government on Thursday accused officials who run the Cumberland County Jail of failing to prevent suicides and provide adequate mental health care to drug-addicted inmates suffering from withdrawal. “There is reasonable cause to believe that the facility failed to screen for or provide adequate mental health treatment to inmates at risk of self-harm and suicide, in violation of the Eighth and 14th Amendments of the Constitution,” the U.S. Department of Justice said in a release. “Inmates faced a heightened risk of self-harm and suicide due to the jail’s failure to provide medica…
KILLER HEROIN: Paterson Mills Raided, Gang Members Busted, 21,000 Heroin Folds, $110G Seized KILLER HEROIN: Paterson Mills Raided, Gang Members Busted, 21,000 Heroin Folds, $110G Seized
Killer Heroin: Paterson Mills Raided, Gang Members Busted, 21,000 Heroin Folds, $110G Seized A dozen members of a violent gang that put 50,000 doses of lethal heroin and over two pounds of crack a week on the streets of Paterson were arrested by city and state authorities in a major takedown, authorities said Thursday. The leaders, members and associates of the "42-50" subset were slinging heroin connected to eight overdose deaths and 14 nonfatal ODs at open-air drug markets where shootings were common before last week’s roundup, state Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal said. Among them was accused ringleader Marvin Goodman, 29, who was wounded in a drive-by shooting at the corner o…
Free NJ Narcan Giveaway Begins Thursday, No ID Or Script Needed Free NJ Narcan Giveaway Begins Thursday, No ID Or Script Needed
Free NJ Narcan Giveaway Begins Thursday, No ID Or Script Needed Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella will visit a local pharmacy to answer questions Thursday when New Jersey begins a three-day giveaway of the overdose-reversal drug Narcan. State residents can obtain a packet containing two doses of the nasal spray anonymously without a prescription or appointment through Saturday (Sept. 24-26) for free at participating pharmacies. The free doses will be available at 322 pharmacies, including several locations of Acme, CVS, Rite Aid, Sav-On, ShopRite, Stop & Shop, Walgreens, Walmart, Weis Markets and independent pharmacies throughout the state, auth…
Doc Who Had Office In Phillipsburg Admits Taking Bribes To Prescribe Fentanyl Doc Who Had Office In Phillipsburg Admits Taking Bribes To Prescribe Fentanyl
Doc Who Had Office In Phillipsburg Admits Taking Bribes To Prescribe Fentanyl A doctor who had a practice in Warren County has admitted accepting bribes and kickbacks from a pharmaceutical company in exchange for prescribing a painkiller containing a powerful opioid, the Department of Justice said Friday.  Kenneth Sun, 58, an Easton, Pa., resident who also practiced in Pennsylvania, received $140,000 in illicit payouts between 2012 and 2016 from the Arizona-based  company, Insys. The medically unnecessary prescriptions resulted in $847,000 in Medicare reimbursements.  Sun, who owned Progressive Pain Solutions in Phillipsburg, prescribed Subsys, a …
Wayne Mom Mourning Son Takes Opioid Fight To Trump's State Of The Union Address Wayne Mom Mourning Son Takes Opioid Fight To Trump's State Of The Union Address
Wayne Mom Mourning Son Takes Opioid Fight To Trump's State Of The Union Address Fighting the battle against opioid addiction has been a top priority for Donna Andelora of Wayne since 2012, when her son Joey died of a heroin overdose at 22 years old. She founded Joey's Angels in his memory on Facebook -- and hasn't stopped fighting for him since. Andelora on Tuesday will attend Trump's State of the Union address as the guest of Rep. Mikie Sherrill, a Democrat representing the 11th District, the Daily Record reports. Sherrill believes the growing opioid epidemic is among the most serious public health crises in New Jersey. Andelora explained the extremely addictive nat…
Psychiatric Treatment Facility Coming To Bergen County As Part Of Unique Hospital Merger Psychiatric Treatment Facility Coming To Bergen County As Part Of Unique Hospital Merger
Psychiatric Treatment Facility Coming To Bergen County As Part Of Unique Hospital Merger New Jersey's largest health network and mental health facility officially joined forces Thursday finalizing plans for several new addiction centers -- including an inpatient treatment facility in Bergen County. The Hackensack Meridian Health and Carrier Clinic merger will establish New Jersey's first behavioral health urgent care centers as early as next year. About half the increase in emergency room visits in New Jersey were related to patients’ behavioral health issues. The state is facing an opioid epidemic that is on target to claim 3,000 lives this year, up from 2,200 lives in 2016. B…
Judge Frees Duo After NJSP Seizes $375,000 Heroin, Coke In Fair Lawn Storage Unit Judge Frees Duo After NJSP Seizes $375,000 Heroin, Coke In Fair Lawn Storage Unit
Judge Frees Duo After Njsp Seizes $375,000 Heroin, Coke In Fair Lawn Storage Unit Two men whom State Police said they nabbed with $375,000 worth of heroin and cocaine stashed in a Fair Lawn storage facility were ordered released by a judge after less than a week in jail, under New Jersey's 2017 bail reform law. Detectives from the NJSP’s Central and North Trafficking Units stopped Wellington Moya, 44, of New York, N.Y., who was driving a Toyota Camry, and Douglas Watson, 41, of Hawthorne, who was driving a Range Rover, as they entered the Wagaraw Road storage facility on Aug. 31, State Police said. During the stop, they said, troopers discovered more than two pounds of c…
Court: Pair Who Bought Heroin In Paterson Not Liable For User's OD Death Court: Pair Who Bought Heroin In Paterson Not Liable For User's OD Death
Court: Pair Who Bought Heroin In Paterson Not Liable For User's OD Death A New York couple who sold a 25-year-old overdose victim the heroin from Paterson that killed him can't be prosecuted for causing a drug-induced death in New Jersey, a state appeals court ruled. Because Kean Cabral received and used the drug in Warwick in Orange County, authorities in New Jersey don't have jurisdiction to prosecute Anthony Potts and Noel Ferguson, who bought it from a dealer in Paterson, the Appellate Division judges found. "The state has not met its burden of establishing that an 'inference could reasonably be drawn placing the site of the crime within th[is] state',&…
Walmart, Sam's Club To Limit Opioid Prescriptions Walmart, Sam's Club To Limit Opioid Prescriptions
Walmart, Sam's Club To Limit Opioid Prescriptions With the country in the midst of an opioid epidemic, Walmart is taking efforts to curtail drug abuse by its customers. Officials announced Walmart and Sam’s Club pharmacies around the country will fill all opioid prescriptions with no more than a seven-day supply, capping daily dosages at 50 morphine milligram equivalents. The new policy is in line with guidelines provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention regarding opioid use and abuse. The new policy is expected to be implemented nationwide within two months. Walmart employees are expected to get additional training and ed…
Recovering Addicts Share Chilling Stories On Bergen Prosecutor Video Series Recovering Addicts Share Chilling Stories On Bergen Prosecutor Video Series
Recovering Addicts Share Chilling Stories On Bergen Prosecutor Video Series If he'd only known he'd be doing heroin at 17 years old, he would have gotten out sooner. That's what one recovering addict said in a new series by the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office, "If I'd Only Known." "We don't want anyone to say 'If I'd only known,'" the prosecutor's office said on social media. The videos highlight "recovery specialists" from across the county who share their stories and experiences as a former alcohol or drug addict.  The goal is to stop the opioid epidemic that last year claimed the lives of approximately 130 people in Bergen Count…
Bergen Sheriff Provides Anti-Heroin Drug To Eligible Jail Inmates Bergen Sheriff Provides Anti-Heroin Drug To Eligible Jail Inmates
Bergen Sheriff Provides Anti-Heroin Drug To Eligible Jail Inmates HACKENSACK, N.J. -- Bergen County Sheriff Michael Saudino's staff this week began offering the anti-heroin drug Vivitrol to addicted inmates. “This is just another tool that we can offer with our partners to break the deadly cycle of addiction in our communities,” Saudino said. Eligible inmates enrolled in a program to reintegrate them into society who are struggling with opioid/heroin addiction are being offered the drug. The first two participants are already being monitored "to support them and to measure the impact of this initiative," the sheriff said. The injectable Vivitr…
Judge: Couple Who Bought Heroin In Paterson Not Liable For User's OD Death Judge: Couple Who Bought Heroin In Paterson Not Liable For User's OD Death
Judge: Couple Who Bought Heroin In Paterson Not Liable For User's OD Death PATERSON, N.J. -- A New York couple who sold a 25-year-old overdose victim the heroin from Paterson that killed him can't be prosecuted for causing a drug-induced death in New Jersey, a judge ruled. Because Kean Cabral received and used the drug in Warwick, the judge said, authorities in New Jersey don't have jurisdiction to prosecute Anthony Potts and Noel Ferguson, who authorities said bought it from a dealer in Paterson. Representatives of the attorney general's office in both states worked together to bring the charges after Cabral's mother found her son's body in their home on April 3,…
New Jersey's New Top Lawman: Bergen County's Gurbir S. Grewal New Jersey's New Top Lawman: Bergen County's Gurbir S. Grewal
New Jersey's New Top Lawman: Bergen County's Gurbir S. Grewal GLEN ROCK, N.J. -- He made his name in Bergen first as a federal prosecutor and then as a fighter against the opioid epidemic as county prosecutor. Now Gurbir S. Grewal is the top lawman in the state. Grewal, of Glen Rock, became the 61st attorney general in state history -- and the first Sikh-American attorney general in U.S. history -- when the state Senate unanimously confirmed his appointment following the inauguration Tuesday of new Gov. Phil Murphy. “I am honored and humbled to assume the role of Attorney General at this critical time for our state and country," Grewal said. &qu…