Tow Company Owner From Manchester Sentenced For Selling Cocaine

TOMS RIVER, NJ — A Manchester man who stored cocaine at his towing business in Toms River has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for cocaine distribution, the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office announced.

Leroy Hairston, 44, was sentenced on Oct. 31, by Superior Court Judge Kimarie Rahill to 10 years in state prison for his July 31 guilty plea to possession of more than a half-ounce but less than 5 ounces of cocaine with intent to distribute in connection with an investigation in Toms River and Manchester from January through April 2023, Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said.

In addition, Hairston was sentenced to 5 years in prison by Rahill in his guilty plea to possession of more than a half-ounce but less than 5 ounces of cocaine with intent to distribute in connection with an investigation in Manchester in November and December 2020.

Hairston pleaded guilty to the 2023 charge on July 31 and to the 2020 charge on March 23, 2023, Billhimer said. Hairston's sentences will run concurrently.

Investigators learned Hairston was storing cocaine at his towing business — Leroy's Tow Service in Toms River. Detectives conducting surveillance saw him leave the business on April 26, 2023, and detained him when he parked in a parking lot nearby. Authorities with a search warrant searched the business and seized 100 grams of cocaine and $7,000 in cash.

In the 2020 case, detectives identified a home in Manchester as one Hairston was using to store and distribute cocaine, authorities said. A search warrant was executed Dec. 10, 2020, at the home and seized about 75 grams of cocaine and 26 pills that tested positive for fentanyl, the prosecutor's office said.

Assistant Prosecutor Stephen Burke handled the case on behalf of the state. The prosecutor's office's Narcotics Strike Force and Asset Forfeiture Unit; the Toms River Police Department and its Special Enforcement, Emergency Services and K-9 units; the Manchester Township Police Department and its Narcotics Enforcement Team and Detective Bureau; Ocean County Regional SWAT Team, Ocean County Sheriff’s Office and its K-9 Unit participated in the investigations.