Some store owners and managers who operate in a shopping center that borders the city of Newark and Irvington Township described the parking lot that separates the two towns as an "invasion of drug dealers, prostitutes and those who engage all types of of illegal activity."
Customers who patronize several stores on the Newark side of the parking lot and a large Super Fresh grocery store -formerly Pathmark- complained that the drug dealers have taken over the entire complex and not even security guards who provide security to some of the stores feel safe.
In a Thursday evening incident and possible enforcement to reverse some of the shopper's apparent poor experiences, police officers in Irvington Township were observed conducting an operation inside The Blimpies restaurant located on the Newark side of the parking lot.
Irvington Police officials said in a statement that officers executed a search warrant after a several month investigation into illegal drug activity at then restaurant.
According to preliminary on scene reports, over a half dozen officers rushed into the restaurant at around 6:20 p.m. and began to place everyone inside under arrest according to several customers who contacted RLS Metro Breaking News.
"I was inside trying to buy a salad when all of these officers burst inside the Blimpies and began to arrests several people," one of the customers said.
Our crew members arrived at the complex a short time later and observed police towing at least one vehicle that possibly belonged to one of several people arrested inside the business. Police officers were also inside collecting evidence to support their investigation.
"They were bringing mad -stuff- (evidence) out of business putting it in their police car trunks. It's crazy I was going there to get a damn salad" a frustrated potential customer said.
The shopping center has had its share of documented criminal activity with a recent shooting that caused non-life threatening injuries to a man on the Irvington Township side of the parking on February 7th.
Click **[HERE ](https://www.rlsmedia.com/article/non-fatal-injuries-victim-irvington-township-shooting)** for shooting near the Irvington Township Super Fresh.
On the Newark side of the border, armed men rushed into The Golden Crust restaurant in August then pointed the weapons at employees and demanded cash from the register. A store official told RLS Media, at that time, that the suspects shouted obscenities but did not physically injure any of the employees during the violent encounter that lasted for less than two minutes.
Click **[HERE](https://www.rlsmedia.com/article/commercial-robbery-newark-eatery-under-investigation)** for Golden Crust robbery story.
Irvington Police Department's investigation into Thursday’s incident remains active and ongoing.