18 Arrested In 3 Big NJ Busts: Enough Drugs To Kill 500K People

Authorities have announced the arrests or indictments of a total of 18 people over the past 24 hours connected to three big New Jersey drug busts. One police department estimated that enough drugs to kill 500,000 people were found.

A six-month, multi-community investigation of major narcotics distributors led to the arrest of six people and the seizure of approximately 650 grams of cocaine, almost 2 kilograms of raw heroin, a kilogram of fentanyl, approximately $75,000 in cash and four vehicles, Mercer County Prosecutor Angelo J. Onofri announced on Wednesday.

The Hamilton Police Department said the amount of fentanyl found in "Capital Co-Op" could kill 500,000 people.

“This was a massive investigative undertaking and I am extremely proud of the way they rose to that challenge," Onofri said. "As a result, two heroin mills were dismantled along with two separate drug trafficking organizations.”

Criminal charges were also unsealed Wednesday against 11 people who are allegedly part of a conspiracy to distribute significant quantities of heroin in New Jersey, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced.

In another case, an alleged drug dealer was indicted Wednesday in connection with the seizure of more than 15,000 doses of heroin by the New Jersey State Police and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal announced.

Here is what happened:

Operation "Capital Co-Op"

An investigation that began in January 2019 revealed that Javone Nesmith and his brother, Breyon Newkirk, were running and operating a production facility in an apartment on West State Street in Trenton belonging to Ashley Lopez, according to the MCPO. The hideout was set up in an effort to allgedly shield their illegal activities.

When officers executed search warrants at the apartment on May 9, they discovered a fully operational heroin mill with grinders, cutting agents, glassine bags for packaging, stamp pads and stampers, according to the MCPO. The apartment was also being used as a stash location for cocaine.

More than 600 grams of cocaine were seized at this location, along with raw heroin, bricks of heroin, about half a pound of marijuana and close to $25,000 in cash, according to the MCPO.

Nesmith and Lopez were arrested at that time and charged with multiple first and second-degree drug offenses. Arrest warrants were issued for Newkirk and he was subsequently arrested by Trenton Police Street Crimes Unit on May 13, according to the MCPO.

As the investigation was progressing, detectives were able to tie individuals involved in the Nesmith/Newkirk organization with another network. Joseph Lopez – no relation to Ashley Lopez – and his associates became the common thread between the two.

On May 21, officers attempted to take Kenneth Figueroa and Joseph Lopez into custody during a narcotics transaction. Figueroa was arrested without incident and Lopez fled the scene after ramming a police vehicle, according to the MCPO.

Officers recovered a backpack that Lopez threw from his vehicle as he fled. The backpack contained approximately 5,600 bags of heroin packaged for distribution and approximately 30 grams of raw heroin, according to the MCPO.

Arrest warrants were issued for Lopez and he was taken into custody a few days later by the U.S. Marshals Service.

Search warrants were then executed at an apartment on Annabelle Avenue in Hamilton. Officers located yet another fully operational heroin mill with grinders, cutting agents, glassine bags for packaging, stamp pads and stampers. More than 1,000 grams of raw heroin and approximately 1,000 grams of fentanyl were seized at this location, along with$50,000 in cash and a 2007 Chrysler Pacifica, according to the MCPO.

Both Figueroa and Lopez face multiple first- and second-degree drug charges. Lopez was additionally charged with aggravated assault on police, resisting arrest and eluding.

Terry Robinson was taken into custody at the Annabelle Avenue apartment, where officers found him packaging heroin, and charged him with multiple first and second-degree drug offenses for his role in the operation.

The total retail value of the confiscated drugs is $260,000.The cocaine was valued at $50,000, the heroin was valued at $200,000, and the fentanyl at $10,000, according to the MCPO.

In addition to the narcotics, authorities also seized four vehicles, several flat screen televisions, computers and studio recording equipment in connection to the investigation. Approximately 50 bank accounts were frozen and continue to be investigated by the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Economic Crime Unit.

Those arrested were:

• Kenneth Figueroa, 35, Annabelle Avenue, Hamilton – Charged with multiple first- and second-degree drug charges (Date of arrest 5/21/19). Detained at the Mercer County Correction Center.
• Joseph Lopez, 39, Chambers Street, Trenton – Charged with multiple first and second-degree drug charges, aggravated assault on police, resisting arrest and eluding (Date of arrest 5/21/19). Detained at the Mercer County Correction Center.
• Terry Robinson, 28, Country Lane, Ewing – Charged with multiple first- and second-degree drug charges (Date of arrest 5/21/19).
• Ashley Lopez, 26, West State Street, Trenton – Charged with multiple first and second-degree drug charges (Date of arrest 5/9/19).
• Javone Nesmith, 40, Kirkbride Avenue, Trenton – Charged with multiple first and second-degree drug charges (Date of arrest 5/9/19).
• Breyon Newkirk, 30, West State Street, Trenton – Charged with multiple first- and second-degree drug charges (Date of arrest 5/13/19). Detained at the Mercer County Correction Center.

11 Charged

A complaint was unsealed Wednesday charging 11 defendants with conspiracy to distribute 100 grams or more of heroin in New Jersey. One of the defendants – Jawaan Foreman – is also charged with distributing cocaine base, according to a release from Carpenito.

Here is the list of people charged, their ages and hometowns:

• Robert M. Gbanapolor, 32 of Trenton
• Duane Paulino-Escalera, 27, of Trenton
• Jawaan Foreman, 35, of Trenton
• Larry Murphy, 36, of Trenton
• Izae Alford, 20, of Trenton
• Paul Beckford, 31, of Trenton
• RJ Beckford, 21, of Trenton
• Alterrick Livingston, 19, of Trenton
• Darryl Young, 27, of Trenton
• Devonte McNeil, 28, of Trenton
• Shamir Kelley, 27, of Trenton

Six of the defendants who were arrested – Livingston, Foreman, Young, Paul Beckford, RJ Beckford and Murphy - were scheduled to have their initial appearances Wednesday afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Douglas E. Arpert in Trenton federal court.

One defendant, McNeil, is serving a sentence in state prison and will have his initial appearance at a later date. Two other defendants, Gbanapolor and Paulino-Escalera, have been previously charged with federal crimes, according to the release. Gbanapolor has been ordered detained and Paulino-Escalera is on pretrial release.

According to documents filed in this case:

From June 2018 through May 2019, the defendants and others engaged in a heroin trafficking conspiracy in the areas of Stuyvesant Avenue, Hoffman Avenue and Highland Avenue in Trenton, as well as in the area of Barbary Road in Philadelphia, according to the release.

Through the interception of telephone calls and text messages and the use of confidential sources of information, law enforcement learned that Gbanapolor obtained regular supplies of “bricks” of heroin – approximately 50 smaller, individually packaged glassine envelopes or baggies containing heroin – from Paulino-Escalera, whom Gbanapolor referred to as “Papi,” according to the release.

Other key members of the drug trafficking conspiracy included Foreman, Murphy and Alford, according to the release.

Members of the conspiracy distributed the heroin supplied by "Papi" to other conspirators, distributors, sub-dealers and end users in New Jersey. Law enforcement officers intercepted numerous discussions among the conspirators regarding issues such as heroin quality and availability, branding, quantity and customer satisfaction, according to the release.

In addition to being charged with conspiracy to distribute heroin, Foreman also was charged in the complaint with one count of distributing cocaine base on May 8, 2019.

The drug conspiracy count carries a statutory minimum term of imprisonment of five years, a maximum potential penalty of 40 years in prison and a maximum fine of $5 million. The count charging Foreman with distribution of cocaine base carries a maximum potential penalty of 20 years in prison and a maximum fine of $1 million, according to the release.

15,000 Doses of Heroin

The Office of Attorney General obtained a state grand jury indictment on Wednesday charging Ranall Robinson, 23, of Trenton with possession of heroin, possession with intent to distribute within 1,000 feet of a school and possession of heroin with intent to distribute within 500 feet of a public park.

The New Jersey State Police and a Monmouth and Ocean County task force developed information that heroin was being sold out of the residence where Robinson lived in the 500 block of Hermitage Avenue in Trenton, according to an OAG release.

Robinson was first arrested on April 5, 2017 when the cooperating agencies executed a search warrant at the residence and seized a total of 310 bricks of heroin, according to the release.

A “brick” consists of approximately 50 single-dose glassine envelopes of heroin; the seized glassines were stamped with the brands “Monster Energy” and “Ferrari.”