Searches of three vehicles stopped in Linden on Wednesday and an apparent stash house in Perth Amboy yielded six arrests and the seizure of a full kilogram of cocaine following a multi-agency investigation into drug sales in the area, acting Union County Prosecutor Grace H. Park announced this afternoon.
Luis Alberto DeJesus, 19, of Perth Amboy, Juan Tavares, 20, of New York City, Monique DeJesus, 25, of New York City, Jorge Emeliano-Velez, 26, of Perth Amboy, Anderson Veloz, 27, of Carteret, and Brayan Emiliano, a resident of the Avenel section of Woodbridge, were among those arrested following the investigation, which was spearheaded by the Prosecutor’s Office’s Guns, Gangs, Drugs, and Violent Crimes Task Force and the FBI Newark Office’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force.
Two of the aforementioned vehicles searched were stopped in the parking lot of the Home Depot on West Edgar Road in Linden after investigators received information that drugs would be in the area; a search of those vehicles turned up approximately 200 grams of cocaine. The third vehicle was stopped in the parking lot of the Sam’s Club on East Linden Avenue in Linden, with that stop yielding a total of approximately 400 grams of cocaine.
A search of the suspected stash house in Perth Amboy revealed another 400 grams of cocaine, plus a suitcase filled with packaging material and a 20-ton press used to process the drugs.
In addition to the FBI, the Union County Sheriff’s Office K-9 Unit, the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office, and the Perth Amboy Police Department, Carteret Police Department, and Linden Police Department all assisted in aiding the investigation and making arrests.
Luis DeJesus and Emiliano both were charged with first-degree distribution of a controlled dangerous substance, first-degree possession with the intent to distribute, second-degree conspiracy, and two lesser drug offenses.
Tavares and Monique DeJesus were charged with first-degree possession of a controlled dangerous substance with the intent to distribute and one lesser drug offense, and Emeliano-Velez and Veloz were charged with second-degree distribution of a controlled dangerous substance, second-degree conspiracy, and one lesser drug offense.
Bail was set at $400,000 for Emiliano, $375,000 for Luis DeJesus, $325,000 apiece for Veloz and Emeliano-Velez, and $250,000 apiece for Tavares and Monique DeJesus. Convictions on first-degree crimes can carry penalties of 10 to 20 years in state prison, with second-degree offenses often resulting in terms of 5 to 10 years.