A female and two male suspects were arraigned today on a multitude of weapons and narcotics charges following their arrests yesterday by Essex County sheriff’s detectives.
As part of on-going investigations into drug trafficking in the city’s North Ward, Sheriff Armando Fontoura stated that officers from his department’s Bureau of Narcotics and Tactical Response Team conducted a surveillance operation at 175 Highland Avenue on Tuesday afternoon.
The sheriff’s officers observed as two suspects, later identified as Crystal Algor, 34, and Cesar Cordero, 47, both of Newark, knocked on the front door of the residence. After a brief conversation, Algor and Cordero exchanged cash for items with Larentte Luckett, 35.
“Algor and Cordero were followed from the scene and detained on Bloomfield Avenue,” Sheriff Fontoura said. “Both were found to be in possession of heroin-filled glassine envelopes, stamped ‘OLD MONEY’ in green ink. Both suspects were placed under arrest.”
Armed with a search warrant, the sheriff’s BON and TRT officers then announced their presence and breached the front door of the residence.
“Gregory Purnell, 31, his girlfriend, Luckett, and his brother, Lamar Purnell, 33, were all detained while the residence was searched,” Fontoura added. “As a result of the
search, an additional 195 decks of heroin, 6 grams of ‘crack’ cocaine, 24 Xanax tablets, two bottles promethazine syrup (prescription cough medicine), a loaded, German-made, HWM .38 caliber handgun, a loaded, .38 caliber Taurus revolver, a Sig Sauer SoftAir pistol, numerous boxes of ammunition and a wide variety of narcotics processing materials were seized.”
The Purnell brothers and Luckett were each charged with four counts of possession of a controlled dangerous substance, possession of CDS with intent to distribute, possession of CDS with intent to distribute within 1000 feet of Branch Brook School and possession of CDS with intent to distribute within 500 feet of Branch Brook Park.
The three suspects were additionally charged with three counts of possession of a weapon while committing a narcotics crime and one count each of possession of a weapon by a convicted felon, possession of armor piercing ammunition, possession of narcotics paraphernalia and conspiracy to violate New Jersey’s narcotics laws.
Luckett was also charged with three counts of the sale of CDS.
At today’s arraignment, Judge Sybil Elias ordered the three suspects held at the Essex County jail on cash bonds only: Gregory Purnell ($250,000); Lamar Purnell ($250,000); and, Larentte Luckett ($150,000).
Algor and Cordero were both charged with possession of CDS and released on their own recognizance.
They are scheduled to be arraigned on March 17th.