Montville Township Police Track Down Stolen Box Truck; Assist State Police in Shutting Down Drug Production Mill
IRVINGTON, NJ – Montville Township Police detectives assisted in the apprehension of two suspects arrested for the possession of substantial amounts of illegal drugs, and in the process helped to shut down a drug production mill.
On Monday, Nov. 5, a commercial box truck was reported stolen in Pine Brook. Detectives Eric Brauchle and Dana Reid traveled to Irvington and located the truck there, according to acting Chief of Police Andrew Caggiano. They turned the case over to the NJ State Police auto theft task force (ATTF).
“We have a good rapport with the ATTF,” Caggiano said.
On Nov. 6, the ATTF executed a search warrant at the residence of Juan Rodriguez, 43, and Beatrice Sepulveda, 29, both of Irvington Township, whom they had determined were in possession of the stolen truck, according to a release from the state police. The pair was arrested without incident.
While searching the residence, however, state police detectives seized:
- 27 pounds of fentanyl pills, a “super-potent opioid” according to state Attorney General Gurbir Grewal
- 2 kilograms of powdered fentanyl
- 1 kilogram of bath salts – an amphetamine/stimulant
- 1 ounce of heroin
- 50 bricks of packaged heroin
- drug production and packaging paraphernalia
- a 9 mm handgun
- hollow point ammunition
- a firearms suppressor
- body armor
- and more than $20,000 cash.
Detectives additionally recovered $325,000 worth of stolen tools and boxes of wood flooring, which were originally inside the box truck.
“Lives were undoubtedly saved as a result of this huge seizure of fentanyl pills and powder,” Grewal said. “Far too many people are dying in New Jersey from overdoses of fentanyl, as drug dealers recklessly mix this super-potent opioid with heroin or substitute it for heroin or oxycodone. We are aggressively targeting those who profit from this deadly drug, and these arrests by the ATTF, assisted by the Montville Police, are a great example of those efforts.”
“The amount of fentanyl seized alone as a result of this investigation had the potential to kill hundreds of thousands people, including police officers, first responders or unsuspecting children,” said Colonel Patrick Callahan of the New Jersey State Police. “We will continue to work with our partners to aggressively pursue those who seek to flood our streets with deadly narcotics.”
“As our state and county are dealing with an opioid crisis, the seizure of this amount of fentanyl and heroin will hopefully limit the amount of these substances available for sale in the illicit drug markets,” said Acting Essex County Prosecutor Theodore N. Stephens, II. “This office will continue to partner with the New Jersey State Police and other law enforcement agencies as we work towards removing dangerous drugs from our streets. My office will aggressively prosecute those arrested in this matter.”
Rodriguez and Sepulveda were charged with the following:
- Maintaining and operating a CDS production facility
- Receiving stolen property
- Possession with intent to distribute CDS
- Possession of a firearm while committing a CDS crime
- Possession of CDS
- Possession of a firearm silencer
- Possession of hollow-point ammunition
- Possession with intent to use CDS
Rodriguez and Sepulveda were lodged at Essex County Correctional Facility pending a bail detention hearing.
The New Jersey State Police Hazmat Unit and Irvington Police Department also assisted with this investigation, and the case is being prosecuted by the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office.
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