Bergen County Prosecutor John L. Molinelli announced the arrest of three people after a three-month long narcotics investigation, that lead to the seizure of thousands in drugs and more than $100,000 in cash.
Pursuant to a three month narcotics investigation, a court authorized search warrant was executed at the residence of 26-year-old Alejandra Arbelaez and 33-year-old Angel Tejada located at 1512 Palisade Avenue, Apartment 9A, in Fort Lee.
A search of the residence yielded one thousand grams of a controlled dangerous substance, Ethylone, as well as approximately $112,000.00.
Ethylone is often utilized to produce the street and club drug commonly known as “Molly.” The estimated street value for this seizure is approximately $40,000.00.
As part of this investigation, police personnel also executed a court authorized search warrant at the residence of 31-year-old Fernando Bautista located at 6311 City Place, Edgewater.
While police were at the apartment door attempting to execute this warrant, Bautista was able to throw a bag out of his window which is adjacent to the Hudson River.
Detectives recovered the bag from the edge of the river and it contained a large amount of pink MDMA (“Molly”). A search of Bautista's apartment yielded another bag of MDMA (“Molly”) for a total of approximately 400 grams seized.
The estimated street value for this seizure is approximately $16,000.00.
Alejandra Arbelaez was charged with one count each of possession with intent to distribute Ethylone, a second degree crime, and money laundering, a second degree crime.
Arbelaez was issued a copy of the criminal warrant and bail was set by the Honorable Adriana Wos-Mysliwiec, J.M.C. at $85,000 with no ten percent cash option.
She was remanded to the Bergen County Jail in lieu of bail.
Tejada subsequently turned himself into the custody of the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office.
He was charged with one count of money laundering, a second degree crime.
Tejada was issued a copy of the criminal warrant and bail was set by the Honorable Louis Dinice, Bergen County Central Municipal Court Judge, at $100,000 with no ten percent cash option.
He was remanded to the Bergen County Jail in lieu of bail.
Bautista was arrested without incident and subsequently transported to the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office for arrest processing.
Bautista was charged with one count each of possession with intent to distribute MDMA (Molly), a crime of the first degree and tampering with physical evidence, a crime of the fourth degree.
Bautista was issued a copy of the criminal warrant and bail was set by the Honorable Louis J. Dinice, J.M.C. at $100,000 with no ten percent cash option.
Bautista was remanded to the Bergen County Jail in lieu of bail.