Manchester Pair Charged With Heroin Possession

Two Manchester men are facing drug charges after police found them each to be in possession of heroin during a traffic stop this week, Manchester police said.

Christopher Grande, 30, of Broadway Boulevard in Manchester and Matthew White, 28, of Holly Hill Road in Manchester were arrested Tuesday afternoon by members of the Manchester Township Police Narcotics Enforcement Team, Capt. Todd Malland said.

The arrests occurred when the 1987 Nissan Sentra driven by White was stopped on Twelfth Avenue near Beacon Street at 4:18 p.m. after Grande, the front seat passenger, was observed by police not wearing his seatbelt, Malland said.

During the stop, officers noticed that White and Grande had both exhibited signs of prior heroin use. Further investigation led to the discovery that Grande had a quantity of heroin concealed on his person. Additionally, White was found to have a quantity of heroin located inside of his cigarette pack, he said.

Grande and White each were charged with one count of possession of heroin and one count of possession of drug paraphernalia. Additionally, Grande was issued a traffic summons for failure to wear a seatbelt, Malland said.

Both were later released on complaint summonses, he said. Also assisting with this investigation was Ocean County Sheriff’s Officer Michael Fiorentino and his K-9 Utah.