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Division of Criminal Justice Gangs & Organized Crime Bureau

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Confessed Hasbrouck Heights 'Ghost Gun' Trafficker Gets Minimum 3½ Years In State Prison Confessed Hasbrouck Heights 'Ghost Gun' Trafficker Gets Minimum 3½ Years In State Prison
Confessed Hasbrouck Heights 'Ghost Gun' Trafficker Gets Minimum 3½ Years In State Prison A convicted "ghost gun" trafficker from Hasbrouck Heights must spend at least 3½ plea-bargained years in state prison before he'll be eligible for parole. Michael Maresca, 34, has been held in the Bergen County Jail since investigators arrested him in November 2020 outside the Macarthur Avenue home he grew up in for trafficking the untraceable guns in and around Paterson. Maresca, who operated an aquarium installation and maintenance company, had sold two “ghost guns” for $1,650 each to an undercover investigator at the residence, they said. One of them had an illegal 15-round magazine loa…

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by Jerry DeMarco
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NJ: Indictment Stemming From 'Operation Worldwide' Takedown Cripples Salem Drug Network NJ: Indictment Stemming From 'Operation Worldwide' Takedown Cripples Salem Drug Network
NJ: Indictment Stemming From 'Operation Worldwide' Takedown Cripples Salem Drug Network A high-profile takedown this fall has produced an indictment naming the accused ringleader, supplier and various alleged associates of a network that slug heroin, crack and fentanyl in Salem City, New Jersey authorities announced Thursday. The 10-month “Operation Worldwide” operation -- led by New Jersey State Police and the state Division of Criminal Justice Gangs & Organized Crime Bureau -- took its name from accused kingpin Jerome "Worldwide" Armstead, 47, of Salem. Armsted is charged with conspiracy, along with various drug, weapons and high-capacity magazine possession counts, in a…

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by Jerry DeMarco
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PATERSON GANG WAR: Indictment Names 16 Heavily-Armed Members Of Drug-Dealing '400 Block' Crew PATERSON GANG WAR: Indictment Names 16 Heavily-Armed Members Of Drug-Dealing '400 Block' Crew
Paterson Gang WAR: Indictment Names 16 Heavily-Armed Members Of Drug-Dealing '400 Block' Crew Sixteen Paterson drug dealers who authorities said defended their turf against rivals by heavily arming themselves with guns and large-capacity magazines have been indicted by a state grand jury. Six handguns were seized, including a “community gun” shared by members of the “400 Block” set of the Trinitarios, who authorities said dominated the heroin, cocaine and opioid pill trade in the center of the city. So were nearly 800 rounds of ammunition and six large-capacity magazines, they said. The indictments stem from an eight-month investigation dubbed “Operation Park and Pennington,” which…

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by Jerry DeMarco
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'GOING TO WAR': Armed-To-The-Teeth Trinitarios Gang Members Rounded Up In Paterson 'GOING TO WAR': Armed-To-The-Teeth Trinitarios Gang Members Rounded Up In Paterson
'Going TO WAR': Armed-To-The-Teeth Trinitarios Gang Members Rounded Up In Paterson Fourteen Paterson drug dealers who defended their turf against rivals by heavily arming themselves with guns and large-capacity magazines were charged in a major sweep, state and local authorities announced Thursday. Five handguns were seized, including a “community gun” shared by members of the “400 Block” set of the Trinitarios, who authorities said dominated the heroin, cocaine and opioid pill trade in the center of the city. So were nearly 800 rounds of ammunition and six large-capacity magazines, they said. New Jersey’s new chief law enforcer, Acting Attorney General Andrew J. Bruck (…

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by Jerry DeMarco
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NJ: State Prison ‘Hit Squad’ Run By Latin King Targeted Inmates, Corrections Investigators NJ: State Prison ‘Hit Squad’ Run By Latin King Targeted Inmates, Corrections Investigators
NJ: State Prison ‘Hit Squad’ Run By Latin King Targeted Inmates, Corrections Investigators Members of a state prison hit squad assembled by a Latin Kings leader beat one fellow inmate and were about to attack another when corrections officials got wind of their plans, New Jersey's top law enforcement officer said Thursday. Working from the outside, Frank “Lafay” Blake, 33, of Hillside recruited eight inmates for his shank-armed crew at various correctional facilities, including Northern State Prison in Newark and New Jersey State Prison in Trenton, state Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal said. Blake, the reputed leader of the Elizabeth chapter of the Almighty Latin King and Queen…

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by Jerry DeMarco