Crime & Safety

Ocean City Woman Among 6 Charged In Shore Cocaine Bust: Police

The investigation centered around an Absecon man who was dealing cocaine, police said.

MANAHAWKIN, NJ — An Ocean City woman was among six people charged after police saw a cocaine deal Friday in Manahawkin. Bethany Harris, 29, was charged with cocaine possession.

Police observed Selvin Romero, the target of the six-month investigation, distributing the drug in the parking lot behind Element Bar. The transaction involved Romero, Harris and Daniel Popick, of Barnegat, police said.

During the investigation, authorities detained three other people involved in the investigation.

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Romero gave police consent to search his Absecon home. Authorities also executed a search warrant on his vehicle. Police seized an ounce of cocaine, a quantity of marijuana, $800 in cash and drug paraphernalia in the investigation, Stafford PD said.

Romero, 25, of Absecon, was charged with the following:

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  • cocaine possession
  • cocaine distribution (second-degree)
  • cocaine distribution (third-degree)
  • possession of less than 50 grams of marijuana

Popick was also charged with cocaine possession. Three others were charged with possessing drug paraphernalia and less than 50 grams of marijuana.

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