Newark – Essex County sheriff’s detectives today arrested a Newark man and filed multiple weapons and drug charges against him.
Sheriff Armando Fontoura stated that officers from his department’s Bureau of Narcotics conducted a plainclothes surveillance operation at the intersection of Clinton Place and St. James Place in the Weequahic section of Newark on Sunday morning in response to numerous neighborhood complaints of open-air drug trafficking.
“A suspect, later identified as Justin Huntington, 23 of Newark, was observed loitering in the area,” Sheriff Fontoura said. “Our officers also watched as Huntington walked down the driveway of 273 Clinton Place where he removed a handgun and a large plastic bag from his fanny pack. These items were secreted in a bush.”
Having clearly viewed the weapon, the sheriff’s detectives announced their presence, moved in to further investigate and detained Huntington.
“A fully loaded, .22 caliber, Smith & Wesson semi-automatic handgun, 19 heroin-filled envelops, stamped ‘BLACK RHINO’ in black ink, 26 vials of ‘crack’ cocaine and 16 zip-lock bags of marijuana were seized,” Fontoura noted. “Huntington was then place under arrest without incident.”
The suspect was also found to be in possession of $51 in alleged drug proceeds.
Huntington was charged with the unlawful possession of a weapon, possession of a weapon by a convicted felon and three counts each of possession of a controlled dangerous substance, possession of CDS with intent to distribute and possession of CDS with intent to distribute within 1000 feet of George Washington Carver School.
The suspect was lodged at the county jail where he awaits a bail hearing.