A previously convicted felon was arraigned today on multiple weapons and drug charges following his arrest last night by a law enforcement task force comprised of Essex County sheriff’s detectives and officers from the Bloomfield and Irvington police departments.
Sheriff Armando Fontoura stated that the task force officers, armed with a search warrant for the basement studio apartment at 622 – 624 Bloomfield Avenue in Bloomfield, spotted and detained the target of their investigation, Eugene Liles, 40, as he exited his residence at 6:25 p.m. on Thursday.
“For officer safety, Liles was the subject of a patdown search and he was found to be in possession of eight zip-lock bags of cocaine,” Sheriff Fontoura noted.
Upon entering the residence, the officers observed several surveillance cameras outside the apartment.
“On a computer console with a video recording device, our officers seized fully loaded 9mm Glock and .45 caliber Republic Arms semi-automatic handguns,” Fontoura said. “A desk in the apartment yielded a brown paper bag containing more than 78 grams of uncut cocaine and a wide assortment of drug packaging and processing materials.”
Liles was charged with two counts each of the unlawful possession of a weapon and the possession of a weapon while committing a narcotics crime. The suspect was also charged with possession of a weapon by a convicted felon, possession of a controlled dangerous substance, possession of CDS with intent to distribute, possession of CDS with intent to distribute within 1000 feet of Bloomfield High School, possession of CDS with intent to distribute within 500 feet of Venner Park, possession of narcotics paraphernalia and the maintenance of fortified premises.
Liles was also found to be the subject of an open warrant issued by the Bloomfield municipal court.
At today’s arraignment, Liles was ordered held at the Essex County jail in lieu of $500,000 cash bond only.