3 Arrested As Police Take Down 'Sophisticated' Heroin Mill In Mercer County

Three people were arrested and heroin and cash were seized as officials took down a heroin mill in Mercer County, officials said on Thursday. A four-month investigation resulted in the seizure of $35,000 in cash and $200,000 in raw heroin, Acting Mercer County Prosecutor Doris M. Galuchie said. The heroin mill, which was raided on Monday, was in Trenton.

The operation, dubbed “Johnny Be Good,” concluded with the arrest of 41-year-old Johnny Francisco Mejia-Alvarez on the 900 block of Anderson Street during an undercover transaction, authorities said.

During the arrest, 28-year-old Rocky Ernesto Paulino arrived in a 1999 beige Jeep Grand Cherokee. He was arrested without incident, and 120 grams of raw heroin were found inside the jeep, according to authorities.
Following the arrests, officers simultaneously executed search warrants at five locations in Trenton.

Martina Antonio Peralta, 41, was arrested at 703 Woodland Street. Investigators said she was in possession of six plastic baggies of heroin and two grams of crack cocaine in her purse. They also seized a loaded 9 mm handgun and $2,400 in cash in the residence. Two more women and a 2-year-old child were in the home at the time of the raid, police said.

At Paulino’s residence on Cleveland Avenue, officers said they recovered $1,090 in cash, one gram of cocaine and two digital scales from his bedroom.

Officers found a sophisticated and well stocked heroin mill, or distribution facility, at 29 Klagg Avenue, Galuchie said. The unfinished basement was converted into a production facility, and there were supplies found throughout the home.

• 18 grinders used to grind the heroin into a fine powder before cutting and packaging it;
• 2 sifters;
• Thousands of glassine bags;
• 80 packages of rubber bands;
• 25 boxes of Ziploc bags;
• 8 empty kilogram wrappers;
• Digital scales;
• Tape dispensers;
• 150 rolls of clear tape;
• Multiple packages of fingertip moisteners;
• A container holding pre-cut wrapping paper used for packaging the heroin into bricks;
• 21 stampers for Pitbull, Flame, Panda, Scorpion, Gecko, Bad Boy, Dragon, Sexy and Candy Man heroin brands;
• Ink pads and containers; and
• A money counter.

At 828 ½ Genesee Street, officers said they recovered $31,943 in cash.

In all, about 1,320 grams of heroin were seized with a street value of approximately $200,000. The total amount of money seized was $35,433. The 1999 Jeep Grand Cherokee and a 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee were seized as drug proceeds.

“This investigation is another indication of the uptick in heroin we are seeing in this area,” Galuchie said. “We are extremely grateful for the assistance from our local, county, state and federal law enforcement partners. It is because of such cooperation and team work that investigations of this magnitude are possible.”

Between January and April, undercover agents with the Mercer County Narcotics Task Force purchased numerous amounts of heroin and logged countless hours of surveillance of the mill.

Mejia-Alvarez is charged with multiple counts of controlled dangerous substance possession and distribution, one count of unlawful possession of a weapon, and one count of resisting arrest.

Paulino is charged with maintaining a narcotics production facility, a first-degree offense, and multiple counts of controlled dangerous substance possession and possession with the intent to distribute.

Martina Antonia Peralta is charged with multiple counts of controlled dangerous substance possession and distribution, one count of unlawful possession of a weapon, and one count of possessing a firearm during a narcotics offense.

The prosecutor’s office has filed motions to have all three suspects detained.

Officers with the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office, the Mercer County Sheriff’s Office, the New Jersey State Police Canine Unit, the U.S. Marshals Service, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration HIDTA Group Four, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration SRT, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement – ERO – Marlton, and the Hamilton and Trenton police, under the command of the prosecutor’s Special Investigations Unit, assisted with the investigation.

The attached images were provided by the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office