According to police, a result of two simultaneous narcotics investigations yesterday in the city’s South Ward, Essex County sheriff’s detectives arrested three alleged drug dealers and one suspected drug buyer.
Following Numerous neighborhood complaints of open-air drug trafficking, promoted two surveillance operations Wednesday afternoon.
According to authorities, shortly after 1 p.m., detectives observed Mr. Oscar Gonzalez, 19, of Newark, loitering in front of 34 Ridgewood Avenue. Soon after, a 2002 Mitsubishi Galant with Ms. Alyssa Spiecker, 24, of South Amboy, in the front passenger seat, pulled up and parked at that location.
After a brief conversation with Ms. Spiecker, Mr. Gonzalez ran across the street and removed items that were secreted on the front lawn of his residence.
Mr. Gonzalez allegedly exchanged the items with Ms. Spiecker for cash.
The Mitsubishi was ultimately followed by plainclothes sheriff’s detectives as it drove away from the scene.
The car in which Mr. Spiecker was riding was found to be in possession of ten heroin-filled glassine envelopes, stamped “100” in red ink. She was placed under arrest and the driver of the vehicle was released without charges.
Mr. Gonzalez was arrested at the scene of the alleged narcotic sale. A search of his lawn yielded 40 similarly marked decks of heroin, police added.
Sheriff’s narcotics detectives also observed Avent Holston, 25, of Newark, loitering in front of 215A Chadwick Avenue on Wednesday afternoon.
A man on a bicycle arrived at the scene and after a brief conversation, Holston walked across the street to an electrical utility closet attached to a nearby house from which he removed items from a backpack that was stored at that location.
The biker then left the scene, and a search for him was unsuccessful.
Moments later, a second suspect, later identified as Mr. Ibraheem Islam, 29, of Newark, pulled up and parked his 2016 Ford Mustang at the scene. Islam was observed carrying a large clear plastic bag that was recognizably filled with smaller clear bags filled with a brownish/greenish substance.”
Islam and a female passerby engaged a conversation that resulted in the exchange of one of the smaller bags for cash. Islam then walked over to the utility closet and placed his large plastic bag into the backpack.
At this point, our detectives announced their presence and searched the utility closet. The backpack was found to contain 178 bags of marijuana and Holston and Islam were placed under arrest.
Mr. Gonzalez was charged with the sale and distribution of narcotics to Spiecker, possession of a controlled dangerous substance, possession of CDS with intent to distribute, possession of CDS with intent to distribute within 1000 feet of Newark Innovation Academy and possession of CDS with intent to distribute within 500 feet of a public housing complex.
Both Holston and Islam were charged with possession of CDS, possession CDS with intent to distribute, possession of CDS with intent to distribute within 1000 feet of William H. Brown Academy, possession of CDS with intent to distribute within 500 feet of the Clinton Branch of the Newark Public Library and conspiracy to violate New Jersey’s narcotics laws.
Police issued Ms. Spiecker a summons and released her own recognizance. She is scheduled for arraignment on August 23rd.
Gonzalez, Holston, and Islam are lodged at the county jail where they await bail hearings.