Tag:

Narcotic Task Force

Overdose Death Of Lodi Man, 62, Leads To SWAT Raid, Arrest Overdose Death Of Lodi Man, 62, Leads To SWAT Raid, Arrest
Overdose Death Of Lodi Man, 62, Leads To SWAT Raid, Arrest 𝗨𝗣𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘: A Lodi man was jailed Tuesday in connection with the overdose death of a 62-year-old drug user last month from cocaine laced with fentanyl, authorities said. A Bergen County Regional SWAT team led a May 21 raid on the Victor Street apartment of Randy Lantigua, 25. The early-morning raid and arrest stem from an investigation into the death of James White of Lodi, who was found unresponsive from an overdose in the bedroom of his home on April 6, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said. Raised in Wood-Ridge, James Anthony White was a self-employed contract pain…
Rockland Man Dies From Drugs Bought In Bergen From Paterson Dealer: Authorities Rockland Man Dies From Drugs Bought In Bergen From Paterson Dealer: Authorities
Rockland Man Dies From Drugs Bought In Bergen From Paterson Dealer: Authorities Authorities from Bergen and Rockland counties who arrested a man accused of selling a fentanyl-laced dose of Xanax that killed a user from Suffern reported finding two stolen guns in his Paterson home. Detectives determined that Tristan Colquhoun, 30, sold Matthew Andreas, 39, of Suffern the fatal dose, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said. Andreas was pronounced dead shortly after Suffern police responding to an overdose call found him unresponsive in the upstairs bedroom of a local residence shortly after 3:30 p.m. Feb. 16, the prosecutor said. They tried to save his life, includin…
Westwood Man Charged With Killing High Schooler From Park Ridge With Fentanyl-Laced Pill Westwood Man Charged With Killing High Schooler From Park Ridge With Fentanyl-Laced Pill
Westwood Man Charged With Killing High Schooler From Park Ridge With Fentanyl-Laced Pill 𝗨𝗣𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘: A 17-year-old Park Ridge boy was killed by a single imitation painkiller laced with fentanyl that was given to him by a Westwood man who's been charged with causing his death. The boy thought he was taking an Oxycontin pill before he overdosed last Sept. 14, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said. Officers who responded to the emergency call administered Narcan, among other life-saving measures, the prosecutor said. The high school senior was pronounced dead a short time later. Detectives from the prosecutor’s Narcotic Task Force determined during a six-month investigatio…
MAIL-ORDER METH: Bergen Man Charged After Quarter-Pound Arrives At Local Post Office MAIL-ORDER METH: Bergen Man Charged After Quarter-Pound Arrives At Local Post Office
Mail-order Meth: Bergen Man Charged After Quarter-Pound Arrives At Local Post Office A Bergenfield man who was being investigated for slinging meth in Bergen County was arrested when he had a quarter-pound of the drug shipped via U.S. mail, authorities said. Taha Aziz, a 34-year-old accountant by trade, was seized by local Narcotic Task Force detectives and members of the United States Postal Inspection Service when he tried to collect the shipment from California at the Bergenfield Post Office on Dec. 20, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said. Aziz, an NJIT and Bergen Community College graduate whose online profile says he’d previously held several accounting position…
Theft Of Drugs From Bergen Prosecutor's Evidence Room Centers On Veteran Detective: Sources Theft Of Drugs From Bergen Prosecutor's Evidence Room Centers On Veteran Detective: Sources
Theft Of Drugs From Bergen Prosecutor's Evidence Room Centers On Veteran Detective: Sources A ranking detective with the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office is at the center of an investigation by the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office into the sale of several kilos worth of drugs stolen from an evidence room, multiple sources said. At least one arrest was expected as part of what sources say was an undercover sting involving the New Jersey State Police that led to the theft and sale of more than a dozen kilos of narcotics that had been seized as evidence. An investigation was confirmed -- without elaboration -- by both agencies. Neither has publicly identified the department vet…
Out-Of-Town Fentanyl Dealer Busted In Woodcliff Lake: Prosecutor Out-Of-Town Fentanyl Dealer Busted In Woodcliff Lake: Prosecutor
Out-Of-Town Fentanyl Dealer Busted In Woodcliff Lake: Prosecutor A Paterson man was arrested after selling deadly fentanyl in suburban Woodcliff Lake, authorities said. Raymundo E. Collado, 27, was carrying 120 glassine wax folds of fentanyl, as well as 23 vials and 10 small zip-locking bags of crack, when he was stopped in town last Tuesday, Oct. 3, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said. Collado remained held in the Bergen County Jail on Monday, Oct. 9, charged with selling drugs and having them for sale. Collado had become the focus of an investigation by the prosecutor’s Narcotic Task Force with Woodcliff Lake police after he sold fentanyl in Wo…
Habitual Offender Charged With Death Of Garfield Man From Fake Oxy Pills Full Of Fentanyl Habitual Offender Charged With Death Of Garfield Man From Fake Oxy Pills Full Of Fentanyl
Habitual Offender Charged With Death Of Garfield Man From Fake Oxy Pills Full Of Fentanyl A habitual offender killed a fellow Garfield resident by giving him bogus oxycodone pills that contained fentanyl, authorities charged. Juhaan Justice Hammond, 30, is charged with strict liability for the drug-induced death this past Sunday of Ivan Santiago in Garfield, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella announced on Friday, Sept. 22. Santiago and an unidentified second person were hospitalized after overdosing on Lincoln Place shortly after 6:30 p.m. Sept. 17, Musella said. Narcan was administered, the prosecutor said, adding that Santiago was pronounced dead at the hospital. Detectiv…
Money For Nothing? Bergen Detectives Bust NY State Duo With $155K Secret Stash Money For Nothing? Bergen Detectives Bust NY State Duo With $155K Secret Stash
Money For Nothing? Bergen Detectives Bust NY State Duo With $155K Secret Stash Two New York State men went to great lengths to stash $155,000 in cash that Bergen County prosecutor’s detectives sniffed out and seized, authorities said. Rochester residents Luis J. Hernandez-Perez, 23, and Jose A. Perez-Perez, 20, will have to prove there was nothing skanky about a “sophisticated, electronically operated hidden compartment” that Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said members of his Narcotic Task Force found during a traffic stop on Wednesday, May 17. Otherwise, they’ll not only face fines and criminal records – they’ll also lose the dough. Hernandez-Perez, who was d…
Drug Sting Nabs City Teen Selling 10 Bricks Of Heroin In Bergen: Prosecutor Drug Sting Nabs City Teen Selling 10 Bricks Of Heroin In Bergen: Prosecutor
Drug Sting Nabs City Teen Selling 10 Bricks Of Heroin In Bergen: Prosecutor An 18-year-old unemployed Paterson man got stung selling 250 bags of heroin to a Bergen County undercover detective and another 250 on the street, authorities said. Naje Dior Brabson remained held in the Bergen County Jail on Thursday, April 20, while awaiting a first appearance in Central Judicial Processing Court in Hackensack. Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said members of his Narcotic Task Force chased Brabson down on Tuesday after seeing him sell five bricks of heroin. He'd previously sold five bricks to an undercover detective, the prosecutor said. Brabson was charged with tw…
Out-Of-State Driver’s Secret Stash Held Two Kilos Of Coke: Bergen Prosecutor Out-Of-State Driver’s Secret Stash Held Two Kilos Of Coke: Bergen Prosecutor
Out-Of-State Driver’s Secret Stash Held Two Kilos Of Coke: Bergen Prosecutor A “sophisticated, electronically-operated” hidden compartment used by an out-of-state driver stopped by Bergen County detectives held two kilos of cocaine, authorities said. Narcotic Task Force investigators stopped the unidentified vehicle at an undisclosed location and found the drugs last Thursday, March 23, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said. They arrested the driver, Gabriel A. Ortiz-Redondo, 29, of Orlando, Florida on first-degree charges of possessing the cocaine with the intent to sell it. A judge subsequently ordered that Ortiz-Redondo remain held in the Bergen County Jai…
JOINT CUSTODY: 1,750 Pounds Of Pot Seized, 13 Busted In Bergen Over Past Six Weeks JOINT CUSTODY: 1,750 Pounds Of Pot Seized, 13 Busted In Bergen Over Past Six Weeks
Joint Custody: 1,750 Pounds Of Pot Seized, 13 Busted In Bergen Over Past Six Weeks The fifth huge pot bust in six weeks in Bergen County boosted the overall total in that time to nearly a ton of weed, along with a baker's dozen arrests, most of them involving carriers from Queens. Two unemployed men from New York City's largest borough were nabbed with 120 pounds of pot during a traffic stop by Narcotic Task Force detectives this past Wednesday, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said, without specifying the area. Xian Fang Mei, 62, and Xian Wei Tang, 39, were each charged with first-degree possession with the intent to sell the drug, the prosecutor said. They were the…
Bergen Drug Detectives Nab Albany Driver Near GWB After Stolen Car Chase Bergen Drug Detectives Nab Albany Driver Near GWB After Stolen Car Chase
Bergen Drug Detectives Nab Albany Driver Near GWB After Stolen Car Chase A driver from Albany tried to outrun detectives in a stolen car but was seized near the George Washington Bridge in Fort Lee, authorities said. Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said his Narcotic Task Force detectives got wind on Tuesday, March 7 that a BMW 550 that had just been stolen during a burglary in Maplewood was headed their way. They tried stopping the driver, John Leroy Johnson, 38, in Englewood, the prosecutor said, but he kept going, apparently bound for the bridge. He “eventually pulled over and surrendered in Fort Lee,” Musella said. Johnson remained held Wednesday in t…
BLUNT OBJECTS: 400 Pounds Of Weed Seized, Duo Detained In Bergen Traffic Stop BLUNT OBJECTS: 400 Pounds Of Weed Seized, Duo Detained In Bergen Traffic Stop
Blunt Objects: 400 Pounds Of Weed Seized, Duo Detained In Bergen Traffic Stop Two single, unemployed men from Queens hauling 400 pounds of pot were headed off by Bergen County prosecutor’s detectives before they could get any further, authorities said. Wenleng Shen, 29, and Wusong Jin, 30, who live together on 159th Street in Flushing -- between Northern Boulevard and Kissena Park -- remained held in the Bergen County Jail on Friday, March 3, following their arrests two days earlier. Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said detectives from his Narcotic Task Force seized the weed and detained the duo after stopping their vehicle as part of a drug investigation. It …
CARRY THAT WEIGHT: Bergen Detectives Bust NYC Five With 1,100 Pounds Of Pot, 50 Lbs Of Edibles CARRY THAT WEIGHT: Bergen Detectives Bust NYC Five With 1,100 Pounds Of Pot, 50 Lbs Of Edibles
Carry That Weight: Bergen Detectives Bust NYC Five With 1,100 Pounds Of Pot, 50 Lbs Of Edibles More than a half-ton of pot and 50 pounds of edibles were seized by Bergen County prosecutor’s detectives who charged five jobless men from Queens with moving large drug shipments in and around Fort Lee. Narcotic Task Force members raided two storage facilities – one near the George Washington Bridge and the other in Jersey City – and conducted warranted searches of four vehicles in Fort Lee during the Valentine’s Day cannabust, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said. Arrested were: Jingru Chen, 29; Fenglei Fan, 35; Lifan Feng, 21; XingXiang Gao, 27; Weiqi Wu, 25. All five remain…
Detectives Nab Out-Of-State Dealers In Teaneck With Coke, Loaded Guns, $25G: Prosecutor Detectives Nab Out-Of-State Dealers In Teaneck With Coke, Loaded Guns, $25G: Prosecutor
Detectives Nab Out-Of-State Dealers In Teaneck With Coke, Loaded Guns, $25G: Prosecutor Three Massachusetts men were carrying several ounces of cocaine, two loaded handguns and $25,515 in suspected drug money when they were stopped in Teaneck, authorities said. Narcotic Task Force detectives had learned that Kelvin Perez, 36, Brayan Lebron, 23, and Joseph Espinal, 22, all of Lawrence, MA were “transporting bulk amounts of suspected narcotics, weapons, and money derived from criminal activity” through the area, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said. Espinal works as a security guard, and the other two are unemployed, the prosecutor said. The stop on Wednesday, Oct. 5, tur…
Traffic Stop: $51,000 Seized By Bergen Prosecutor's Detectives Traffic Stop: $51,000 Seized By Bergen Prosecutor's Detectives
Traffic Stop: $51,000 Seized By Bergen Prosecutor's Detectives A Queens motorist had $51,154 in suspicious cash in his vehicle when he was stopped by Bergen County prosecutor’s detectives, authorities said. Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said Peng Cheng, 33, who lives just off the Grand Central Parkway in Flushing, was stopped by members of his Narcotic Task Force in an undisclosed Ridgefield location. The investigators charged Cheng with money laundering after they found – and seized – the cash, the prosecutor said. They released him pending a first appearance in Central Judicial Processing Court in Hackensack, Musella said. Meanwhile, h…
It's 420 — As In Pounds Of Pot Seized In Bergen County Stop It's 420 — As In Pounds Of Pot Seized In Bergen County Stop
It's 420 — As In Pounds Of Pot Seized In Bergen County Stop A Queens driver stopped by detectives was charged with hauling more than 400 pounds of marijuana through Bergen County -- 420, to be exact. Coincidence? Lifan Feng, 20, of Flushing, Queens was stopped at an undisclosed location in Ridgefield, not far from the George Washington Bridge, by members of Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella’s Narcotic Task Force. A search turned up the possibly random weight of 420 pounds of pot that the prosecutor said was packaged for sale. You can legally possess up to six ounces under New Jersey’s new marijuana laws. Any weight over that gets you ticketed …
Philly Ride-Share Driver Busted In Bergen County, 4,650 Heroin Folds Seized Philly Ride-Share Driver Busted In Bergen County, 4,650 Heroin Folds Seized
Philly Ride-Share Driver Busted In Bergen County, 4,650 Heroin Folds Seized A rideshare driver from Philadelphia was nabbed with 4,650 heroin folds during a Bergen County traffic stop, authorities said. Marvin Taveras-Taveras, 30, was arrested in Ridgefield Park by Narcotic Task Force detectives who suspected he was transporting bulk amounts of drugs through the area, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said. Taveras-Taveras had 93 bricks of heroin in the vehicle, Musella said. The Dominican national was charged with having heroin for sale and sent to the Bergen County Jail following his arrest last Thursday, June 16, the prosecutor said Monday. A judge ordered…
Prosecutor: CT Pair Nabbed In NJ Turnpike Stop With Ghost Gun, Hollow-Nose Bullets Prosecutor: CT Pair Nabbed In NJ Turnpike Stop With Ghost Gun, Hollow-Nose Bullets
Prosecutor: CT Pair Nabbed In NJ Turnpike Stop With Ghost Gun, Hollow-Nose Bullets Two unemployed Connecticut men stopped on the New Jersey Turnpike in Bergen County were packing two handguns and hollow-nosed bullets in their vehicle, authorities said. One of the weapons was a homemade ghost gun, they said. The passenger, Jeffrey Torres, 23, of Bristol, CT, bailed out and tried to run after Narcotic Task Force detectives stopped them on northbound Route 95 in Ridgefield, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said. A Superior Court judge in Hackensack later ordered that both Torres and the driver, Angel Ramos-Ortiz, 24, of Hartford, CT, remain held in the Bergen County Ja…
$15,000 In Hidden Drug Cash Seized From Philly Driver Busted Near GWB, Authorities Say $15,000 In Hidden Drug Cash Seized From Philly Driver Busted Near GWB, Authorities Say
$15,000 In Hidden Drug Cash Seized From Philly Driver Busted Near GWB, Authorities Say A construction worker from Philadelphia had $15,000 in suspected drug money stashed in a secret compartment of his vehicle when he was stopped in Fort Lee, authorities said. Narcotic Task Force members who zeroed in on Anderson German-Javier, 27, as part of an investigation also found small amounts of heroin and fentanyl in the electronically-operated “trap,” Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said. They charged him with money laundering and drug possession and released German-Javier pending a first appearance in Central Judicial Processing Court in Hackensack. The cash, meanwhile, was …
Bergen Prosecutor: Yonkers Money Launderer Had $11,691 Cash Stashed In No-Longer-Secret Car Box Bergen Prosecutor: Yonkers Money Launderer Had $11,691 Cash Stashed In No-Longer-Secret Car Box
Bergen Prosecutor: Yonkers Money Launderer Had $11,691 Cash Stashed In No-Longer-Secret Car Box An accused money launderer from Yonkers was busted in Teaneck with $11,691 in dirty cash stashed in a secret compartment of his car, authorities said. Pascual Ciriaco, 49, who’s married and unemployed, was taken into custody following the stop by Narcotic Task Force detectives who’d been tipped off that he was “transporting bulk amounts of currency,” Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said.  Ciriaco had stashed the cash in an “electronically operated aftermarket hidden compartment” in his vehicle, the prosecutor said. Detectives charged him with money laundering and released pendin…
ID Thieves From Long Island, Queens Had Hidden Vehicle 'Trap,' Bergen Prosecutor Says ID Thieves From Long Island, Queens Had Hidden Vehicle 'Trap,' Bergen Prosecutor Says
ID Thieves From Long Island, Queens Had Hidden Vehicle 'Trap,' Bergen Prosecutor Says Fourteen credit cards stolen from different victims were found in a secret compartment of a vehicle owned by a Queens man who was arrested with an accomplice from Long Island during a stop in Leonia, authorities said. Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said detectives from his Narcotic Task Force also found cocaine in the “sophisticated electronically operated” stash compartment after stopping Jose Pichardo, 36, of Corona and Robert Diaz, 37, of Copiague on Thursday, March 31. The investigators charged both men with credit card theft, ID theft and minor drug possession and sent them to …
Prosecutor: Owner, Husband, Employees Busted In Raid On Bergen Pot 'Dispensary' Prosecutor: Owner, Husband, Employees Busted In Raid On Bergen Pot 'Dispensary'
Prosecutor: Owner, Husband, Employees Busted In Raid On Bergen Pot 'Dispensary' Authorities raided a DIY storefront pot dispensary in Bergen County that they said was operated by a local couple who sold marijuana and THC products to the general public without a license. Jaime Costanzo, who was listed as the owner/operator, and her husband, Michael Delmoral, both 40 of Wallington, were busted after detectives posing as customers bought pot and other items at THC JARZ on River Road in Garfield, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said Monday afternoon. Also arrested were two store cashiers, he said. Detectives from Musella’s Narcotic Task Force, along with police from…
Bergen Prosecutor: Career Criminal Nabbed With 5,000 Heroin Folds, Crack Bergen Prosecutor: Career Criminal Nabbed With 5,000 Heroin Folds, Crack
Bergen Prosecutor: Career Criminal Nabbed With 5,000 Heroin Folds, Crack An ex-con with a 25-year criminal history was carrying 100 heroin bricks when detectives stopped his SUV in Garfield, authorities said. David Clay, 45, of Paterson remained held in the Bergen County Jail awaiting a first appearance in Central Judicial Processing Court in Hackensack on charges of carrying both the 5,000 heroin folds and a half-ounce of crack for sale. Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said detectives from his Narcotic Task Force and Garfield police stopped the unemployed dealer's 2007 Audi Q7 Monday on River Road. Musella estimated the value of the drugs found in the ve…
Prosecutor: Detectives Nab Garfield Business Owner, Passaic Pal With 9 Pounds Of Coke, $89,000 Prosecutor: Detectives Nab Garfield Business Owner, Passaic Pal With 9 Pounds Of Coke, $89,000
Prosecutor: Detectives Nab Garfield Business Owner, Passaic Pal With 9 Pounds Of Coke, $89,000 Bergen County prosecutor’s detectives seized the owner of a Garfield appliance business and an unemployed Passaic man after finding nearly nine pounds of cocaine and $89,000 in suspected proceeds following a traffic stop in Elmwood Park. Alexon J. Collado, 32, of Passaic tried to hide a backpack stuffed with $30,000 in drug money when detectives stopped the vehicle driven by Enoc Suarez-Pimentel, 34, Prosecutor Mark Musella said Thursday Bergen County Sheriff’s K-9 Roy alerted the Narcotic Task Force members to drugs in the vehicle, producing a search that turned up three kilos of cocaine i…
Two Charged In Pursuit Crash At Turnpike Rest Area Near GWB Two Charged In Pursuit Crash At Turnpike Rest Area Near GWB
Two Charged In Pursuit Crash At Turnpike Rest Area Near GWB Two Queens men whose rented SUV rolled at the Vince Lombardi Service Area on the New Jersey Turnpike when they tried to elude Bergen County prosecutor's detectives apparently didn’t have much reason to run. The Narcotic Task Force investigators tried stopping the white Dodge Durango on the Turnpike in Carlstadt shortly after 2 p.m. Wednesday, but the driver hit the gas and apparently headed for the George Washington Bridge. The SUV then crashed on a service road outside the rest stop in Ridgefield. The driver, 27-year-old Carvell G. Matthews, didn’t have a driver’s license, Bergen County P…
Bergen Prosecutor's Detectives Seize 2 Loaded Guns, Drugs, $50K In Ridgefield Park Stop Bergen Prosecutor's Detectives Seize 2 Loaded Guns, Drugs, $50K In Ridgefield Park Stop
Bergen Prosecutor's Detectives Seize 2 Loaded Guns, Drugs, $50K In Ridgefield Park Stop A secret compartment in an SUV stopped by Bergen County prosecutor’s detectives contained nearly $50,000 in cash, two loaded handguns and some drugs, authorities said. Ttwo Massachusetts men arrested in the Ridgefield Park stop were identified as driver Carlos Cabellero, 47, and passenger Luis Pena, a 29-year-old ex-con, who live together in a Worcester, MA home, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said Friday. Members of Musella’s Narcotic Task Force found the secret stash – in an electronically-operated compartment -- after stopping the pair’s 2004 Honda Pilot on Wednesday, the prosecut…
Prosecutor: Quartet ID'd In 30-Pound Pot Shipment Found With Stolen Gun In North Arlington Prosecutor: Quartet ID'd In 30-Pound Pot Shipment Found With Stolen Gun In North Arlington
Prosecutor: Quartet ID'd In 30-Pound Pot Shipment Found With Stolen Gun In North Arlington A trio of New Jersey residents and a Virginia man plotting the sale of 30 pounds of pot were caught with a stolen gun during a traffic stop in North Arlington, authorities said. Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said members of his Narcotic Task Force were investigating a drug conspiracy when a consented search during Tuesday’s stop turned up a .45-caliber 1011 Paraordnance handgun. Arrested were Jaleel Speller, 26, of Newport News, VA, Quantesa Wade, 27, of East Orange, Alicia Torres, 34, and Larry Harris, 40, both of Newark, the prosecutor said. All remained held Friday in the Bergen…
Bergen Prosecutor: Drug Detectives Nab South Carolina Man In Englewood With 4½ Pounds Of Heroin Bergen Prosecutor: Drug Detectives Nab South Carolina Man In Englewood With 4½ Pounds Of Heroin
Bergen Prosecutor: Drug Detectives Nab South Carolina Man In Englewood With 4½ Pounds Of Heroin A self-employed South Carolina painter was nabbed carrying 4½ pounds of heroin in Englewood, authorities said. Juan Osto-Alvarado, 36, remained held Friday in the Bergen County Jail after a judge in Hackensack denied his release, records show. Narcotic Task Force detectives arrested him during a traffic stop Tuesday after learning that that Osto-Alvarado “was trafficking narcotics between South Carolina and New Jersey,” Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said. Osto-Alvarado has a first appearance scheduled on first-degree drug possession charges this Tuesday in Central Judicial Processi…