By: Najla Alexander
Authorities in Passaic County announced that based on a joint investigation by the Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office Narcotics, Gangs, and Violent Crimes Task Force in conjunction with the Wayne Police Department, Demoy Woolley, 23, and Qa’Lasia Williams, 25, both from North Haledon, were arrested in relation to a long-term multi-agency narcotics investigation.
Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes stated that Demoy Woolley and Qa’Lasia Williams are both charged with Possession of a Controlled Dangerous Substance, Possession of a Controlled Dangerous Substance with the Intent to Distribute, Possession of a Controlled Dangerous Substance with Intent to Distribute Within 1,000 Feet of School Property and Endangering the Welfare of a Child.
Officials stated that the arrests were based on a long-term investigation that began in November 2023 and continued until March 2024, targeting Demoy Woolley and Qa’Lasia Williams.
During the investigation, officials say various federal, state, county, and local agencies provided investigative assets and assistance to the Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office and Wayne Police Department.
According to officials, assisting investigative agencies included the Haledon Police Department, Clifton Police Department, Sussex County Prosecutor’s Office, New Jersey State Police, United States Secret Service, and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
Officials said on March 25, 2024, search warrants for ten locations within Passaic, Bergen, and Sussex County were executed, resulting in the arrests of Demoy Woolley and Qa’Lasia Williams.
Agencies that assisted with the execution of the search warrants, in addition to the investigative partners, included the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Narcotics Task Force, North Haledon Police Department, Garfield Police Department, and Elmwood Park Police Department, authorities say.
Officials stated that as a result of the execution of the search warrants, additional individuals were also arrested.
The following items were seized during the course of the search warrant executions, officials said:
-$107,089 in US currency
-(1) Taurus 9mm handgun with a high-capacity magazine
-(56) rounds of ammunition
-12,100 glassines of suspected heroin/fentanyl
-1 ounce of raw suspected heroin/fentanyl
-9.5 ounces of suspected cocaine/crack cocaine
-8 pounds of suspected marijuana
-Several large bottles of Promethazine
According to officials, Demoy Woolley and Qa’Lasia Williams's sentencing exposure for First-Degree Possession of a Controlled Dangerous Substance with Intent to Distribute is 10-20 years in New Jersey State Prison, and for Third-Degree Possession of a Controlled Dangerous Substance, it is 3-5 years in New Jersey State Prison.
Officials said that Third Degree Possession of a Controlled Dangerous Substance with Intent to Distribute within 1,000 Feet of School Property is 3 to 5 years in New Jersey State Prison, and finally, Degree Endangering the Welfare of a Child is 5 to 10 years in New Jersey State Prison.
The investigation remains active and ongoing, and authorities say more information will be released once it becomes available.
Officials say Demoy Woolley is scheduled to appear at the Central Judicial Processing (CJP) Court on March 27, 2024.
The state has filed a motion for pre-trial detention that will be heard by a Superior Court Judge.
Qa’Lasia Williams currently has no date scheduled for Central Judicial Processing (CJP), but officials said both individuals remain detained at this time.