Undercover Officers Bust Three Alleged Gang Members: Bloods, Latin Kings

Undercover officers from the Essex County Sheriff’s Bureau of Narcotics arrested four Newark men, including alleged gang members from the Latin Kings and the Bloods, in plainclothes operations conducted on Wednesday, March 4.

Detectives arrested Japhet Lopez, 31, a reputed member of the Latin Kings street gang, at his third-floor apartment on Woodside Avenue at 6:20 a.m.

According to the Essex County Sheriff’s Office, when officers knocked and announced their presence, they allegedly heard people inside the apartment yelling “5-0, 5-0”, in reference to the presence of law enforcement officers. Fearing destruction of evidence, officers made a forced entry into the residence, where they discovered Lopez in the rear bedroom, allegedly in the process of throwing a plastic bag out the window.

Lopez then turned and began striking the sheriff’s detectives with his fists and kicking at them with his feet, stated authorities in a release.

After a brief struggle, Lopez was placed under arrest. Also arrested in the bedroom was the suspect’s brother, Kiele Lopez, 19, who was not listed as an alleged gang member in the release.

A search of the apartment yielded pill bottles containing 111 Endocet tablets and 22 Xanax tablets. A plastic bag containing 26 vials of crack-cocaine was recovered in the backyard, said authorities.

Japhet Lopez was charged with five counts of aggravated assault on law enforcement officers. Additionally, both Lopez brothers were charged with three counts each of possession of a controlled dangerous substance, possession of CDS with intent to distribute, possession of CDS with intent to distribute within 1000 feet of Elliot Street School and possession of CDS with intent to distribute within 500 feet of Phillips Park. The two suspects were also charged with possession of narcotics paraphernalia, maintaining fortified premises and conspiracy to violate New Jersey’s narcotics laws.

SUMMER AVENUE RAID

Bureau of Narcotics officers conducted a second drug raid at 4 p.m. at a Summer Avenue apartment, which resulted in the arrest of Lamar Taylor, 27, and Anthony Malena, 28, both alleged members of the Bloods street gang.

According to authorities, when undercover detectives announced their presence at the apartment, they allegedly heard voices inside the apartment yelling, “Go, go, go.”

After making a forced entry, detectives observed Taylor allegedly jump out a bedroom window and attempt to flee the scene on foot. Police stated that Taylor was “immediately chased down and captured.”

Police said that they apprehended Malena inside the apartment before he could jump from a window in another bedroom.

Detectives discovered and seized 565 grams of marijuana, 12 grams of heroin, seven Xanax tablets and a variety of drug processing and packaging paraphernalia which were found in various locations throughout the apartment, reported authorities.

Taylor and Malena were each charged with three counts of possession of CDS, possession of CDS with intent to distribute, possession of CDS with intent to distribute within 1000 feet of Elliot Street School and possession of CDS with intent to distribute within 500 feet of Phillips Park. The two suspects were also charged with possession of narcotics paraphernalia and conspiracy to violate New Jersey’s narcotics laws. Taylor was additionally charged with resisting arrest.