By: Tracie Carter
A month-long drug surveillance of a neighborhood county officials said is known for active drug transactions had Essex County Sheriff's Officers bust several men who reportedly engaged in neighborhood drug trade.
A statement released by Armando B. Fontoura On Tuesday revealed that at 11:25 am, the Essex County Sheriff's Bureau of Narcotics (B.O.N.) and Tactical Response Team (TRT) executed a court-ordered search warrant on a residence on North 9th Street in Newark, which resulted in the arrest of five males.
Sheriff Fontura identified the suspects as Mr. Kareem W. Koon, 44, of East Orange, Mr. Jamar Horne, 44, of East Orange, Mr. Alkadair V. Ports, 26, of Newark, Mr. Jerome Logan, 41, of Fords, and Mr. Robert Walton, 42, of Rahway.
According to Sheriff Fontoura, during the search, over 400 vials of crack cocaine and around 200 decks of heroin were seized.
Sheriff Fontura said Koon, Horne, Ports, and Logan were all charged with two counts of possession of Controlled Dangerous Substances (CDS), two counts of possession of CDS with the intent to distribute, one count of conspiracy to violate the New Jersey narcotic laws, and one count of defiant trespassing.
Walton was charged with the same charges plus one count of resisting arrest by flight.
Essex County Sheriff Armando B. Fontoura said, "The work done continuously by these Sheriff's Officers is commendable.
They not only removed five dangerous people from the neighborhood – they prevented hazardous substances from reaching the community."