$25,500 In Heroin Seized In Mercer County: Prosecutor

MERCER COUNTY, NJ — After a month-long investigation, $25,500 in heroin was seized in Mercer County, Prosecutor Angelo J. Onofri said Friday.

On Thursday, members of the Mercer County Narcotics Task Force, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Robbinsville Police began surveillance in a warehouse parking lot on New Cayton Way, Robbinsville.

Around 6:40 p.m., officers saw Melvin Leonard, in the driver’s seat of a black Nissan Altima, Onofri said. Leonard was detained without incident.

Sgt. Tom Paglione got K-9 Indy to conduct an exterior sniff of the vehicle, which resulted in Indy alerting to the scent of narcotics on the passenger side door, Onofri said.

A search warrant was conducted and inside the car, officers found a reusable shopping bag with a shoe box inside containing around 150 bricks of heroin, Onofri said.

Leonard, 34, of East Orange, was charged with multiple narcotics offenses. The prosecutor’s office has filed a motion to detain him pending trial.

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