HOWELL – Three residents of Ocean County were charged with drug offenses following their arrest during a motor vehicle stop in Howell.
Police said that at 4 p.m. April 11, Howell Police Department Crime Suppression Unit Capt. Thomas Rizzo, Detective Sgt. Jack Headley, Detective T.J. Hurley, Detective Robert Ortenzi, Detective Ryan Richards, Detective David Gilliland and Officer Nicholas Bondarew and K-9 Vito arrested three men who were found to be in possession of approximately 500 folds of heroin, crack cocaine, marijuana and cash.
Police said the incident began when Gilliland observed the driver of a 2017 Chevrolet Tahoe traveling at a high rate of speed on Herbertsville Road (Route 549).
Police said Gilliland initiated a motor vehicle stop after a license plate inquiry revealed that the registered owner of the vehicle had a suspended driver’s license.
Following the stop, Gilliland identified the driver as a 38-year-old man from Brick Township, the front passenger as a 40-year-old man from Asbury Park and Brick Township, and the rear passenger as a 34-year-old man of Brick Township.
As Crime Suppression Unit officers arrived at the scene of the motor vehicle stop, suspicion of narcotics activity became evident as the odor of marijuana emanated from the vehicle, according to police.
As the three men exited the vehicle, the 34-year-old Brick man was observed to have an electronic monitoring device secured to his ankle. He told the officers the device was placed on him to ensure a curfew of 9 p.m., subsequent to a recent arrest in Brick Township.
As checks were conducted on each man, the man with the ankle bracelet was found to have an active traffic warrant issued by Brick Township and was arrested without incident, according to police.
After explaining the suspicion of narcotics activity, Gilliland requested the driver’s consent to search the vehicle and he authorized the search, police said.
As a search of the vehicle began, Richards located a hidden compartment in the upper dashboard of the Tahoe.
Within the compartment, a plastic bag containing approximately 500 folds of a substance believed to be heroin and stamped “Blue Magic” and “Blue Ink” was located in addition to a cotton sock containing a clear package of suspected crack cocaine, according to police.
Two other hidden compartments were found in the Tahoe by Rizzo and Hurley, however, neither contained any additional substances.
A total of $415 in cash and five cellular telephones were found in the vehicle. Harris and Wallace were then arrested without incident.
During a search following his arrest, the driver was found to be in possession of a substance believed to be marijuana in his sock, according to police.
The Tahoe was towed from the scene and forfeiture of the vehicle will be sought.
The suspects were each criminally charged with possession of a controlled dangerous substance (heroin), possession of CDS (heroin) with the intent to distribute, possession of CDS (crack cocaine) and possession of CDS (crack cocaine) with the intent to distribute, according to police.
The driver was also criminally charged with possession of CDS (marijuana) and issued a motor vehicle summons for possession of CDS in a motor vehicle.
The man with the ankle bracelet was also cited for his failure to wear a seat belt.
All three men were initially placed in the Monmouth County jail, Freehold Township, police said.
