Two suspects were arraigned today on multiple drug charges following their arrests last night by a law enforcement task force comprised of Essex County sheriff’s detectives and officers from the Belleville and Irvington police departments.
Sheriff Armando Fontoura stated that the task force staged a second plainclothes surveillance operation within the past week on Monday at Newark’s Stephen Crane Village in response to continued complains of open-air narcotics trafficking in the area.
“Once in position, our detectives observed two male suspects, later identified as Noel Johnson, 22 of Kearny, and Hadith Holman, 26 of Newark, loitering in front of 958 Franklin Avenue,” Sheriff Fontoura said. “A passerby, later identified as Adrian Savocka, 31 of East Brunswick, soon engaged the pair in a brief conversation resulting with Johnson removing items from his pants pocket, passing them to Holman who then exchanged the items with Savocka for cash.”
Believing they had witnessed a narcotics sale, the officers moved in to further investigate.
Savocka was found to be in possession of five heroin-filled glassine envelops, stamped ‘LIGHTS OUT’ in red ink, police said.
Johnson had an additional 30 similarly marked decks of heroin and 52 zip-lock bags of ‘crack’ cocaine in his pocket along. Police also seized $74 in cash from Johnson and Holman.
Johnson and Holman were each charged with distribution of a controlled dangerous substance and conspiracy to violate New Jersey’s narcotics laws as well as two counts each of possession of CDS, possession of CDS with intent to distribute, possession of CDS with intent to distribute within 1000 feet of Belleville Elementary School and possession of CDS with intent to distribute within 500 feet of public housing.
Savocka was charged with possession of CDS and he was found to be the subject of six open warrants issued by the Essex County Superior Court and the municipal courts of Belleville, East Brunswick and South Brunswick.
At today’s arraignments, Johnson and Holman were each ordered held at the county jail in lieu of $95,000 cash bond only.
Savocka was also lodged at the county jail on the six prior warrants.