5,359 Decks: Largest Heroin Bust In Long Branch In 20 Years

A 43-year-old man was arrested and charged in the largest heroin bust in Long Branch in 20 years, police said.

Seizures from the Aug. 24 arrest totaled 5,359 decks of heroin worth more then $40,000 in street value; $753 in cash; and a Kia Optima.

Christopher “Choice” Schwartz, 43, of Paterson was charged with possession of heroin, possession of cocaine, distribution of heroin in the third degree, distribution of heroin within 500 feet of a park, distribution within 500 feet of federal housing and distribution within 1,000 feet of a school, police said.

His bail was set at $180,000, cash only, police said.

Long Branch Director of Public Safety Jason Roebuck said in a release that the seizure is the “largest that I can remember here for the last 20 years. They are to be commended for this and their continuing work.”

Detectives Joseph Spitale, Richard O’Brien and Nick Romano of Long Branch Police’s Street Crimes Unit stopped Schwartz’s car as part of a narcotics investigation, Roebuck said in the release.

“The Street Crimes Unit, led by Lt. Jeff Grippaldi, is doing an outstanding job fighting against illegal narcotics in the city,” Roebuck said in the news release.