As part of an ongoing investigation, State Police detectives on Friday (July 10th), arrested four men, seized more than $200,000 worth of heroin, and shut down a heroin production mill operating in a Newark apartment. Search warrants were executed on two apartments and one vehicle and detectives found approximately 16,000 decks of heroin, a quantity of raw heroin, grinders, branding stamps, and cutting agents.
Detectives from the Crime Suppression and Trafficking units observed Bienvenido Cuevas-Ruiz, 49, leaving his residence at 160 2nd Avenue with two large beer boxes to travel by taxi to Lake Avenue where he placed the boxes into a silver Ford Focus driven by Jason Bacchus, 31, of Bloomfield. Bacchus was arrested by troopers when he stopped at a local gas station. The boxes were found to contain 15,800 decks of heroin packaged for distribution.
Detectives watched as Leoncio Gonzalez-Tolentino, 47, and Edward Cruz, 31, left the 2nd Avenue apartment and went to their apartment at 265 Lake Avenue. Armed with warrants obtained with assistance of the Division of Criminal Justice, Troop B T.E.A.M.S. and Canine units executed search warrants on the two residences, which yielded 10 ounces of raw heroin, a large quantity of packaged heroin, 26 heroin stamps, grinders, cutting agents and miscellaneous heroin packaging paraphernalia. The heroin was all found in the 2nd Avenue apartment, which had cardboard boxes covering all the windows.
Bienvenido Cuevas-Ruiz, Leoncio Gonzalez-Tolentino, and Edward Cruz were all charged with possession of heroin with intent to distribute, conspiracy, possession of heroin within 1000 feet of a school, possession of heroin within 500 feet of a park, distribution of drug paraphernalia, and maintaining a drug production facility. Essex County Superior Court Judge Nancy Sivilli set bail for each at $250,000 full cash bail.
Jason Bacchus was charged with possession of heroin with intent to distribute, conspiracy, possession of heroin within 1000 feet of a school, possession of heroin within 500 feet of a park and distribution of drug paraphernalia. Bail set at $150,000 full cash for Bacchus.
The four were lodged in Essex County Jail in default of bail.