Man Arrested, $2 Million In Drugs Seized On NJ Turnpike: MCPO

A Florida man was arrested and $2 million in heroin and cocaine were seized during an interdiction stop of a tractor trailer at a service area on the New Jersey Turnpike in Mercer County, authorities announced.

Frank Rosario, 44, of Kissimmee, Florida, was arrested and charged with numerous narcotic-related offenses at the Woodrow Wilson Service area on Tuesday, May 1, Mercer County Prosecutor Angelo J. Onofri announced.

During the stop, Det. Sgt. Joe Angarone utilized his K-9 partner, Bela, to conduct a drug sniff of both the tractor and the trailer after detectives became suspicious of Rosario’s nervous demeanor, police said.

During the search, detectives discovered a hidden compartment in the tractor’s ceiling, police said. The compartment contained 13 kilograms of cocaine and four kilograms of heroin.

The approximate street values of the seized cocaine and heroin are $1.3 million and $800,000, respectively, according to the prosecutor’s office. The prosecutor’s office has filed a motion to have Rosario detained. Law enforcement seized the trailer, which beared Florida registration.

Onofri commended all of the agencies involved in arrest, including the Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office, and the Hamilton, Princeton and Trenton police departments, under the command of his Special Investigations Unit.

The attached image of Frank Rosario was provided by the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office