$32K In Heroin Seized In Mercer County Drug Bust: Prosecutor

MERCER COUNTY, NJ — One person was arrested, and $32,000 in heroin was seized in a drug bust in Mercer County, Mercer County Prosecutor Janetta D. Marbrey said.

The arrest and seizure followed a two-month investigation into the distribution of fentanyl and heroin in Hamilton Township, conducted by the Mercer County Narcotics Task Force (MCNTF) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Edwin Vargas, 52, of Teaneck, NJ, was arrested on Feb. 11 and charged with multiple first-degree narcotic offenses. After receiving information that Vargas was transporting a large quantity of narcotics to Mercer County, officers established surveillance on him as he traveled into Hamilton in the area of the Woodrow Wilson Service Area.

Around 11:30 a.m., members of the MCNTF and the Hamilton Police Division conducted a motor vehicle stop on a Kia Telluride being driven by Vargas on the New Jersey Turnpike.

Vargas was detained without incident, and the vehicle was secured pending execution of a search warrant.

Sgt. Tom Paglione utilized his K-9 partner, Indy, to conduct an interior “sniff” of the vehicle. Indy gave a positive indication for narcotic odor on the center console of the vehicle, and a search revealed a hydraulic trap containing approximately one kilogram of suspected heroin.

The prosecutor’s office has filed a motion to detain Vargas pending trial. According to Prosecutor Marbrey, the total street value of the confiscated heroin is $32,000.

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