NJ Couple Arrested, 2K Doses Of Heroin, Fentanyl In Big Bust – Point Pleasant, NJ Patch
More than 2,000 doses of heroin and fentanyl were sized in a big bust that brought down a major drug enterprise run by a New Jersey couple, police said.
State Police shut down a narcotics processing mill, seizing 27 pounds of fentanyl pills and other narcotics, and arrested Juan Rodriguez, 43, and Beatrice Sepulveda, 29, after a truck was reported missing from Morris County.
The probe began on Monday, Nov. 5, when a commercial box truck was reported stolen in Montville. Working with the Montville Police Department, detectives from the Auto Theft Task Force were able to locate the stolen vehicle on Grove Street in Irvington, where the two suspects live, police said.
During the course of the investigation, police determined that the suspects were in possession of the stolen truck. On Tuesday, Nov. 6, police executed a search warrant at the couple’s residence on Grove Street where they were arrested without incident, authorities said.
While searching the residence, detectives seized 27 pounds of fentanyl pills, 2 kilograms of powder fentanyl, 1 kilogram of bath salts, 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, police said.
Detectives additionally recovered $325,000 worth of stolen tools and boxes of wood flooring, which was originally inside the box truck.
“Lives were undoubtedly saved as a result of this huge seizure of fentanyl pills and powder,” said Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal. “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 State Police Auto Theft Task Force, assisted by the Montville Police, are a great example of those efforts.”
Just trace amounts of fentanyl coming into contact with skin is enough to sicken or kill an adult, putting the magnitude of this seizure into perspective, said Col. Patrick Callahan of the New Jersey State Police.
“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,” he said. “We will continue to work with our partners to aggressively pursue those who seek to flood our streets with deadly narcotics.”
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.
State Police photo
