In two separate investigations less than one mile apart, Essex County sheriff’s detectives arrested five alleged drug dealers and their customers on Frelinghuysen Avenue late last week.
Sheriff Armando Fontoura stated that both surveillance operations conducted by his department’s Bureau of Narcotics took place on Thursday morning in response to numerous complaints of open-air drug trafficking by neighbors.
In the first incident, two suspects, later identified as Jerry Webb, 59, and Omar Reeds, 50, both of Newark, were observed loitering near the intersection of Frelinghuysen Avenue and Whittier Place sometime around 8 a.m., Sheriff Fontoura said.
Webb was soon approached by a female, later identified as Rondell Davis, 50, of Hillside, who he had a brief conversation with before walking over to a nearby parked car where he removed items from a black plastic bag from under the vehicle.
After Webb exchanged an item from the bag with Davis for cash, Davis was followed by the sheriff’s officers and she was found to be in possession of a clear plastic vial of ‘crack’ cocaine.
Minutes later, a 2001 Honda CR-V, driven by Brian Carlisle, 36, of Linden, pulled up to the scene. Reeds walked over to the Honda and after a brief conversation with Carlisle, Reeds removed a second black plastic bag that was hidden under another parked car. Once again, items from the bag were exchanged for cash.
Carlisle was subsequently followed and pulled over a few blocks away where he was found to be in possession of two heroin-filled glassine envelopes, stamped “FROSTED FLAKES” in blue ink.
Detectives then moved in to further investigate Webb and Reeds.
Webb was placed under arrest with 7 decks of heroin in his hand and his plastic bag contained an additional 56 heroin-filled envelopes and 33 vials of ‘crack’ cocaine.
Reeds was placed under arrest when his plastic bag was found to contain 71 decks of heroin and 9 vials of crack.
Webb and Reeds were each charged with the sale of a controlled dangerous substance and two counts each of possession of CDS, possession of CDS with intent to distribute CDS and possession of CDS with intent to distribute within 500 feet of a public housing complex.
Two hours later, the second surveillance operation was staged at Frelinghuysen Avenue and Van Vechten Street.
Detectives immediately recognized Quamarl Boykins, 19, Raheem Morgan, 21, and Haji Hines, 25, all of Newark, from previous narcotics investigations, loitering in the area.
After a brief conversation with a female passerby, Boykins exchanged items from his pocket with the woman for cash.
Believing they had witnessed a drug transaction, officers announced their presence and found Boykins in possession of 111 heroin-filled glassine envelopes, stamped “BIG BOY” in red ink. Morgan had 8 grams of crack cocaine and Hines was holding 109 decks of heroin and 69 plastic jugs of crack cocaine.
Boykins, Morgan and Hines were charged with possession of CDS, possession of CDS with intent to distribute and possession of CDS with intent to distribute within 500 feet of a public housing complex.
Davis and Carlisle were issued summonses for possession of CDS and released in their own recognizance.
Webb, Reeds, Boykin, Morgan and Hines were all lodged at the county jail where they await a bail hearing.