Cocaine, Heroin Worth $150K Seized, Two Arrested in Union County: Prosecutor

ELIZABETH, NJ — Well more than a kilogram of cocaine and heroin worth $150,000 were seized and two people were arrested as part of a long-term investigation into the distribution of illegal narcotics in Elizabeth, authorities announced.

Hansel Aquinoramirez, 31, of Elizabeth, the primary target of the investigation, and Jose Seijas, 46, of Elizabeth, were both arrested without incident on Friday, acting Union County Prosecutor Grace H. Park, FBI-Newark Special Agent in Charge Timothy Gallagher, and Elizabeth Police Director James Cosgrove jointly announced Tuesday.

The investigation began in August 2016 where Aquinoramirez was found to be selling a significant amount of cocaine and other drugs in the Elizabeth area, the Prosecutor’s Office’s Guns, Gangs, Drugs, and Violent Crimes Task Force and the FBI’s Newark office said.

A total of 1,320 grams of cocaine and 120 grams of heroin, drugs with an estimated street value of nearly $150,000, were seized as a result, according to the report.

Aquinoramirez was charged with three counts of first-degree distribution of a controlled dangerous substance, two counts of second-degree distribution, eight counts of third-degree distribution, and nine additional drug offenses relating to distributing narcotics within 500 feet of a public park or 1,000 feet of a school zone.

Seijas was charged with third-degree possession of cocaine.

Aquinoramirez was lodged in Union County Jail pending a detention hearing. Seijas was released on a summons.

Members of U.S. Homeland Security Investigations and the Elizabeth Police Department offered assistance in the form of manpower and resources in this case.

Aquinoramirez 10 to 20 years in state prison for the first-degree crimes.

(Image via Union County Prosecutor's Office: Hansel Aquinoramirez, 31, of Elizabeth)

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