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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
News
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
News
'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
News
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
Police & Fire
Hasbrouck Heights Man, 32, Charged With Selling Untraceable 'Ghost Guns' Hasbrouck Heights Man, 32, Charged With Selling Untraceable 'Ghost Guns'
Hasbrouck Heights Man, 32, Charged With Selling Untraceable 'Ghost Guns' A Hasbrouck Heights man was charged with trafficking untraceable “ghost guns.” Michael Maresca, 32, was arrested outside the Macarthur Avenue home he grew up in following an investigation led by the state Division of Criminal Justice and Paterson police, authorities said. Assisted by Hasbrouck Heights police, detectives armed with a warrant seized several illegal weapons from the home, state Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal said. 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,…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
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…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Irvington Drug Mill Sold ‘Branded’ Heroin That Killed Dozens: AG Irvington Drug Mill Sold ‘Branded’ Heroin That Killed Dozens: AG
Irvington Drug Mill Sold ‘Branded’ Heroin That Killed Dozens: AG Authorities raided an Irvington apartment Tuesday that was used to prepare heroin for sale on the street, with doses stamped with “brand names” like Dunkin Donuts and American Greed, Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal said. Also on Tuesday, four people were arrested for their alleged involvement with the operation, which sold drugs believed to be responsible for 33 overdose deaths and more than 90 overdoses in total. Numerous law enforcement agencies from across North Jersey assisted in the investigation that led to Tuesday’s raid on a second-floor apartment at 214 Eastern Parkway, where au…

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by Paul Milo
Police & Fire
Nine Charged In Paterson-Based Cocaine-Supply Ring: Kilos, Guns, Cash Found Nine Charged In Paterson-Based Cocaine-Supply Ring: Kilos, Guns, Cash Found
Nine Charged In Paterson-Based Cocaine-Supply Ring: Kilos, Guns, Cash Found PATERSON, N.J. -- Nine members of a Paterson-based major cocaine supply network were indicted following a joint investigation that involved the Passaic County Sheriff's Office and State Police, authorities said Tuesday. Investigators seized nearly 18 pounds of cocaine, a small quantity of heroin, 82 pills containing fentanyl, three handguns and more than $76,000 in drug proceeds during what was called “Operation Stillwater,” Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal said. The top suppliers in the network are all from Paterson, New Jersey's third-largest city, Grewal said: Jose Encarnacion, 35, wa…

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by Jerry DeMarco