Drug Bust At NJ Tow Lot: 14,300 Heroin Envelopes Seized, Cops Say

Essex County, NJ - Police recovered 14,300 envelopes of heroin during a large drug bust at an Essex County towing lot on Wednesday, authorities say.

According to the Essex County Sheriff’s Office, a task force composed of federal, county and local officers executed a search warrant at Coast to Coast Towing on 14th Avenue in Irvington, on Wednesday afternoon.

On arrival, officers allegedly observed a tow lot employee identified as Eric Love, 37, of Irvington, transfer a large amount of heroin from an abandoned Dodge Caravan to his 2002 Chevrolet Monte Carlo, police said.

In all, Love was found to be in possession of 14,300 heroin-filled envelopes and $2,100 in cash, authorities stated.

Police said that the envelopes were stamped ‘FRANK LUCAS’ in blue ink, apparently a reference to the infamous heroin dealer who operated in New York City during the late 1960s and early 1970s.

Task force officers also arrested the tow lot’s owner, John Hibinski Jr., 48, of Irvington, when they discovered a loaded .38 caliber revolver and more than 300 oxycodone tablets on his desk.

A further search of the office yielded two additional revolvers, a box of illegal hollow point bullets and $14,925 in cash, authorities stated.

The arrests and seizures were the result of an investigation launched by a joint task force team including the Drug Enforcement Administration, Department of Homeland Security, Essex County Sheriff’s Office, and Bloomfield, Irvington and Roselle police departments, authorities said.

Authorities estimated the street value of the narcotics seized during Wednesday’s arrests to be in excess of $125,000.

Additional search warrants for the tow yard are expected to be issued, authorities stated.

Authorities charged Love with possession of a controlled dangerous substance, possession of CDS with intent to distribute and possession of CDS with intent to distribute within 1,000 feet of Sacred Heart School.

Authorities charged Hibinski with possession of CDS, possession of CDS with intent to distribute, possession of CDS with intent to distribute within 1,000 feet of Sacred Heart and possession of hollow point bullets. Hibinski was additionally charged with three counts of the unlawful possession of a weapon while committing a CDS crime.

Love’s bail was set at $150,000 cash bond only and Hibinski’s bail was set at $25,000 cash bond only; both were transported to the Essex County Correctional Facility.

“With these arrests we believe a major drug distribution operation has effectively been shut down,” Essex County Sheriff Armando Fontoura said.

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