Three suspected drug dealers and one alleged drug buyer were arrested last night by Essex County sheriff’s detectives.
Responding to neighborhood complaints of open-air drug trafficking near the intersection of West McKinney and Nevada streets, led officers from the Bureau of Narcotics to stage a plainclothes surveillance operation at that location on Monday evening.
Detectives there observed three suspects, later identified as Marquise Rogers, 23, of Rahway, Anthony Lawrence, 30, of Newark, and Jabrill Lewis, 29, of Newark, sitting in Rogers’s parked 2005 Jeep Cherokee.
A male passerby on foot, Timothy Donoghue, 48 of Newark, engaged Lawrence in conversation. Lawrence exchanged an item from his waistband with Donoghue for cash.
As another suspect, identified as Khalil Simpson, 26, of Newark, arrived on the scene, Donoghue was followed and he was found to be in possession of one heroin-filled glassine envelop, stamped “KING KONG’ in black ink. He was subsequently placed under arrest.
As our BON detectives moved in on the Jeep to further investigate, Simpson tossed 100 decks of heroin to the ground. Four more similarly marked decks of heroin and 19 plastic jugs of ‘crack’ cocaine were discovered in Lawrence’s waistband and Rogers was found to be in possession of a plastic bag, containing an additional 144 decks of heroin and 52 jugs of ‘crack’ cocaine. A total of $967 in cash was seized from Simpson, Lawrence and Rogers.
The third occupant of the Jeep, Jabrill Lewis, was found to be the subject of open warrants issued by the Newark, Linden and Elizabeth municipal courts.
Lawrence and Rogers were each charged with two counts of possession of a controlled dangerous substance, possession of CDS with intent to distribute and possession of CDS with intent to distribute within 1000 feet of the Newark Boys Chorus School.
Lawrence was also charged with the sale and distribution of CDS and Rogers was issued a summons for transporting CDS in a motor vehicle.
Simpson was charged with possession of CDS.
Donoghue was also charged with possession of CDS and he was found to be wanted by the Jersey City municipal court.
All five suspects were lodged at the county jail where they await bail hearings and municipal court proceedings.