Heroin-Fentanyl Pills Seized, Berkeley Woman Charged: OCPO

TOMS RIVER, NJ — A Brick Township man and a Berkeley Township woman are facing drug and weapons charges, accused of manufacturing pills with heroin and fentanyl and passing them off as prescription painkillers, the Ocean County prosecutor's office said Wednesday.

H J Zacker Sindel, 26, of Brick, and Mary C. Mazzi, 38, of Berkeley Township, were arrested Monday, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer said.

A joint investigation by the prosecutor's office Special Operations Group Northern Enforcement Unit, Brick Township police and Berkeley Township police led to the search warrants for the homes of both Sindle and Mazzi, and authorities subsequently seized three handguns, a second-degree quantity of suspected heroin/fentanyl, and manufacturing equipment and paraphernalia, he said.

The investigation revealed that pills were being illegally manufactured and sold as prescription pain medications, such as oxycodone and alprazolam, also known as Xanax, but were suspected to contain heroin and fentanyl. The Ocean County Sheriff’s Department Criminal Investigations Unit Lab was able to confirm that the pills did in fact contain heroin and fentanyl.

"The public should understand the dangers of purchasing prescription pills without a prescription and outside of a licensed pharmacy," Billhimer said. "These pills may contain heroin, fentanyl or other unknown and dangerous, sometimes fatal, substances."

Sindel was arrested and charged with:

• First-degree maintaining a CDS production facility.
• Second-degree possession of a firearm during the commission of a CDS offense.
• Second-degree possession of a firearm while being a "certain persons" to not possess firearm.
• Second-degree possession with the intent to distribute more than one-half ounce of heroin/fentanyl.
• Third-degree possession of heroin/fentanyl.
• Third-degree possession with the intent to distribute more than one ounce of marijuana.
• Fourth-degree possession of mroe than 50 grams of marijuana.
• Possession of drug paraphernalia

He is being held at the Ocean County Jail, Toms River, awaiting a detention hearing.

Mazzi is charged with:

• First-degree maintaining a CDS production facility.
• Second-degree possession with the intent to distribute more than one-half ounce of heroin/fentanyl.
• Possession of drug paraphernalia

She was taken to the jail but has since been released, according to the county corrections department website.

Billhimer praised the efforts of the Special Operations Group and the collaborating law enforcement agencies, including the prosecutor's office, Brick and Berkeley detectives and the Ocean County Sheriff’s K-9 Unit.

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Photos provided by the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office