A suspected member of the Bloods street gang was arrested, and two semi-automatic handguns, as well as and over $11,000 in illegal narcotics and drug proceeds, were recovered during a drug investigation on Tuesday.
Sheriff Armando Fontoura stated that officers from his department’s tactical response team were conducting a narcotics operation at an apartment complex in the area of Mount Prospect Avenue in the city's North Ward as part of an ongoing investigation into the distribution of drugs in the area.
“Our officers had received numerous reports of illegal narcotics transactions having taken place at this apartment complex,” Sheriff Fontoura said.
“Each report stated that Lazarus "Holiday" Blackwell, 42, of Jersey City, and a suspected member of the Bloods street gang, would meet with unidentified buyers before exchanging cash and inviting them into Apartment L4.
On several occasions, our officers witnessed Blackwell engage in these illegal narcotics transactions, and after receiving a search warrant, our team made its way to the apartment complex.”
According to the Sheriff's Office, members of the tactical response team arrived at the complex where they gained entry to the building through the front door which was unlocked.
Upon entering their building, the team made their way to apartment L4, and once they were outside the door, the officers began to knock and announce their presence.
“After a few times of knocking with no response and fearing of the potential destruction of evidence, members of the team breached the door and entered the apartment.
Once inside, they spotted Blackwell in the back of the living room," Fontoura said.
"At this point, our officers informed Blackwell of the search warrant and asked him if there were any illegal narcotics inside of the apartment, to which he responded "yes".
He was then placed under arrest and the tactical response team began to do a search of the rooms."
The Sheriff's Office said that a search of the apartment yielded positive results for narcotics, including 96 bags of CDS Crack-Cocaine, 45 tablets of Ecstasy, and 25 grams of CDS Marijuana.
The value of the recovered narcotics, as well as illegal narcotics proceeds, totaled well over $12,000.
"In addition to the narcotics recovered from the apartment, our officers were also able to seize two deadly firearms," the Sheriff said.
"Both a .9mm Glock Semi-automatic handgun and a .9mm Black Sim Pistol, as well as several rounds of ammunition, were found inside the kitchen and rear bedroom of the apartment."
Following his arrest, Blackwell was charged with possession of a controlled dangerous substance, possession of a weapon while committing a CDS offense, and possession of drug-making paraphernalia.
Blackwell was transported to the Essex County Correctional Facility, where he will await a hearing on his charges.