Man Busted For Selling 'Substantial Amounts' Of Heroin In Atlantic County: Authorities

A Pleasantville man has been arrested after authorities say they recovered a stolen gun and a kilo of heroin, a kilo of cocaine and over $7,000 from a shed in his backyard, Attorney General Christopher S. Porrino said Tuesday morning.

Terrance Harris, 37, was arrested on Friday, June 2, when members of the Atlantic City Task Force and federal agents of U.S. Immigration and Custom Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) stopped his car in Pleasantville. The stop was the result of a long-term investigation into accusations that Harris was selling a substantial amount of heroin in Atlantic County.

During the stop, police say Harris was in possession of a small quantity of suspected heroin. Police then searched a small shed in his backyard, where they found the heroin and cocaine, a stolen Springfield Armory XD Subcompact 9mm semi-automatic pistol and a .223-caliber rifle with laser sight, according to authorities. They also found suspected powder cutting agents, mixing utensils, scales and $7,465 in U.S. currency.

The heroin consisted of 7,900 stamped wax folds of heroin, with half a dozen different brand stamps, and a quantity of bulk heroin, authorities said. The seized heroin has an estimated street-value of approximately $100,000, and the seized cocaine has an estimated value of more than $40,000.

Harris is charged with first-degree possession of heroin with intent to distribute, first-degree possession of cocaine with intent to distribute, two counts each of second-degree possession of a weapon during commission of a narcotics offense and second-degree possession of a weapon as a convicted felon, and third-degree charges of possession of heroin and possession of cocaine. Harris was lodged in the Atlantic County Jail.

“The quantity of heroin seized in this bust – together with the number of brand stamps found and the presence of cutting agents and processing equipment – all point to the fact that Harris was a significant distributor of heroin in the Atlantic City area,” Porrino said. “Add in the deadly guns, and we allege that Harris was a dangerous purveyor of addiction and drug-related violence, who fortunately is now off the street.”

The ACTF includes the Division of Criminal Justice, New Jersey State Police, State Parole Board, Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office, Atlantic County Sheriff’s Office, Atlantic City Police Department, Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office, Little Egg Harbor Township Police, Brigantine Police and Pleasantville Police. The task force frequently partners with HSICherry Hill, the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives, and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.

“We allege that Harris is exactly the type of criminal that the Atlantic City Task Force was formed to target – a gun-toting drug dealer,” said Director Elie Honig of the Division of Criminal Justice. “The vast majority of crime and gun violence in the Atlantic City area is linked to the drug trade and to offenders like Harris, who we allege profited from that trade at the expense of law-abiding residents.”

“Instead of storing yard equipment in his shed, Terrance Harris harbored heroin, cocaine, and weapons, all agents of misery and death,” said Colonel Rick Fuentes, Superintendent of the New Jersey State Police. “I am proud of all of the officers from our partnering agencies who helped shut down this dangerous drug dealer, but I am particularly proud of the lead investigator, Detective I Dennis Quinn, of the State Police Atlantic City Metro Task Force Unit.”

The first-degree drug charges carry a sentence of 10 to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $500,000. Second-degree charges carry a sentence of five to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $150,000. The charge of second-degree possession of a weapon as a convicted felon carries a mandatory minimum term of five years of parole ineligibility. Third-degree charges carry a sentence of three to five years in prison and a fine of up to $15,000. The charges are merely accusations and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

The attached image of Terrance Harris was provided by the Attorney General’s Office