An Elizabeth man who allegedly operated a heroin mill in a neighboring county has been arrested and charged with multiple crimes after tens of thousands of individual doses of the drug were recovered there last week, acting Union County Prosecutor Jennifer Davenport announced Monday.
Sean Henderson, 30, is charged with first-degree maintaining a narcotics production facility, first-degree possession with the intent to distribute, and one related second-degree and two related third-degree drug offenses.
Last Thursday, an investigation led by the Prosecutor’s Office’s Narcotics Strike Force and Detective Michael Griffith, assisted by members of the DEA, Essex County Prosecutor’s Office, and Elizabeth Police Department produced a search warrant for a location on the 100 block of Western Parkway in Irvington.
The execution of the search warrant revealed that the address was a fully functional heroin mill, and approximately 1,420 bricks of suspected heroin (constituting a total of approximately 71,000 folds, or individual doses) and about 150 grams of raw heroin were recovered there, along with packaging materials, respirator masks, scales, rubber bands, empty folds, and other items.
The estimated street value of the recovered drugs is approximately $825,000.
Henderson was arrested in Elizabeth the same day in a Lyft vehicle, with the keys to the Irvington apartment found on his person. He was transported to Union County Jail pending a first appearance and detention hearing.
Convictions on criminal charges of this nature can result in penalties of up to life in state prison.
These criminal charges are mere accusations.
Each defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.