An East Orange NJ man has been sentenced to 5 years in New Jersey State Prison for distribution of heroin.
The 43-year-old suspect was placed under arrest in December 2014 during a drug bust at the Holiday Motel in Andover, NJ. The arrest was the culmination of a joint investigation by the Sussex County Prosecutor’s Office Guns, Gangs, and Narcotics Task Force, the Andover Police Department, and the Sussex County Sheriff’s Office K-9 Unit.
According to authorities, the suspect tried to flush a large amount of heroin down the toilet before police entered his motel room. Police officers knocked on the door and heard the sound of flushing, prompting them to burst into the room.
Although the suspect managed to flush a large amount of heroin, police were still able to stop the suspect from destroying most of the evidence. Police reportedly found and seized three “bricks” of heroin, which is the equivalent of 154 bags of heroin.
The suspect was arrested and charged with third degree distribution of heroin.
According to Sussex County prosecutors, the suspect later admitted to investigators that he sold 50 bags of heroin to an undercover informant.
In March 2015, the suspect pleaded guilty to the heroin distribution charges. Now he has finally been sentenced for his drug crimes. The suspect recently made an appearance in Sussex County Superior Court, which is located in Newton, New Jersey. At the sentencing hearing, the superior court judge sentenced the suspect to 5 years in NJ State Prison. The suspect will have to serve at least 30 months of his sentence before he becomes eligible for release on parole.
The judge also ordered the suspect to pay more than $1,200 in fines and court fees.
For more information about this case, see the NJ.com article entitled “Man Caught with ‘Bricks’ of Heroin Sentenced to Five Years in State Prison, Report Says.”