Marijuana Odor Leads To Heroin Arrest, Drug Charges for Toms River Man: Police

HOWELL, NJ -- Two Ocean County men are facing drug charges after 80 folds of heroin along with marijuana were found in their car during a motor vehicle stop on Wednesday, Howell police said Friday.

Dajhamal Craighead, 20, of Toms River, and his passenger as Markee Paseler, 20 of Lakewood, both were charged with possession of CDS, possession of CDS with intent to distribute, possession marijuana under 50 grams and possession of drug paraphernalia, Detective Sgt. Christian Antunez said.

The car, a 2006 Nissan Altima with a rejected inspection sticker driven by Craighead, was pulled over on Route 9 South near Estelle Lane due to failure to maintain its travel lane by Lt. Thomas Rizzo, Antunez said.

During the course of the stop, Rizzo detected the odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle and discovered Paseler had a Wall Township municipal court warrant issued for his arrest, he said.

Paseler was placed under arrest for the warrant, Antunez said.

Craighead turned over marijuana to Rizzo when confronted with the odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle, Antunez said. Craighead also was arrested and a search of his person yielded 80 wax folds of heroin stamped in red ink with the words "Batman vs. Superman," according to Antunez and the criminal complaint released by the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office.

A search of the vehicle resulted in the discovery of less than 50 grams of marijuana hidden in the carpet lining of the trunk as well as two plastic baby bottles containing a purple “promethazine” mixture, commonly referred to as “lean,” which is the medication combined with a drink of the user’s choice, Antunez said.

Craighead also placed fabric softeners throughout the vehicle in an attempt to mask the odor of narcotics, Antunez said.

In addition to the drug charges, Craighead was issued two motor vehicle citations for failure to inspect and failure to maintain lane, he said.

Howell Township Municipal Court Judge Susan Schroeder-Clark set bail for each at $22,000, no 10 percent option. Both were transported to Monmouth County Correctional Institute, but both have since posted bail, according to jail records.

The vehicle was seized pending forfeiture proceedings.