Major fentanyl and heroin mill dismantled in Harrison, N.J.
TRENTON, N.J. – DEA New Jersey Division Special Agent in Charge Susan A. Gibson and New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal announced the arrests of three men in the takedown of a major fentanyl and heroin mill in Harrison, N.J., whose drugs have been linked to 227 overdoses, including 84 deaths. Approximately 32,500 individual doses and four kilos of fentanyl and heroin were seized in the investigation.
The arrests were made in an ongoing investigation by the New Jersey State Police Opioid Enforcement Task Force and the Division of Criminal Justice. They were assisted by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations, Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office, Morris County Prosecutor’s Office, Morris County Sheriff’s Office, Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office, Passaic County Sheriff’s Office, Cliffside Park Police, Nutley Police, Harrison Police and Newark Police.
The New Jersey State Police recently established the Opioid Enforcement Task Force, designed to strategically target heroin and fentanyl sources of supply across the state. In October, the Department of Law & Public Safety, New Jersey State Police, was awarded a $2.8 million grant for this Task Force from the Department of Justice Office of Community Oriented Policing Services’ Anti-Heroin Task Force Program.
Based on the evidence seized, it is estimated that the drug mill, set up in a luxury apartment at 300 Somerset Street in Harrison, was supplying 15,000 doses of fentanyl and heroin per day. Timothy Guest, 45, of Irvington, N.J., allegedly operated the mill with associates working under him, including William Woodley, 27, of Belleville, N.J., and Selionel Orama, 25, of Cedar Grove, N.J. Those men were arrested on Thursday, March 14. They face first- and second-degree drug charges, including a charge of maintaining a narcotics production facility.
“We prevented countless doses of fentanyl and heroin from reaching drug users by taking down this mill, and given that the stamps seized bear the same names as drugs linked to 84 deaths, we may have saved many lives,” said Attorney General Grewal. “This operation reflects a proactive and collaborative strategy in which we recently deployed a new State Police task force, supported by a $2.8 million federal COPS grant, to target drug mills and other major drug sources as choke points in the supply line of these deadly opioids. This case is an early and tremendous victory for the Opioid Enforcement Task Force and our new strategy.”
“The amount of heroin and fentanyl that was seized during this investigation could have resulted in many overdoses and deaths,” said Special Agent in Charge Gibson. “It is investigations like this one that make a large, positive impact on the community. We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to bring to justice those who choose to put our citizens in danger.”
“This investigation represents a significant advancement in the State Police’s capacity to conduct large scale narcotics investigations due to the recently created Opioid Enforcement Task Force. This task force coupled with the analytical capabilities of the Drug Monitoring Initiative represent a powerful deterrent to the illegal narcotics trade in New Jersey and the region,” said Colonel Patrick Callahan, Superintendent of the New Jersey State Police. “I commend the efforts of the detectives, analysts, and forensic experts from the State Police as well as our local and county partners.”
Investigators found 150 bricks of fentanyl in a black duffel bag in a Cadillac XTS. A brick consists of 50 individual doses of narcotics packaged in wax folds. Inside the drug mill, they seized three kilograms of fentanyl, one kilogram of heroin mixed with fentanyl, 500 bricks of fentanyl (approximately 25,000 individual doses containing fentanyl packaged for distribution), and drug milling equipment, including 29 coffee grinders, kilo presses, wax folds, and respirator masks. They also found 43 rubber ink stamps used to stamp brands on the wax folds. Information obtained from police reports throughout the state indicates that 25 of those stamps bear the same brand names that have been linked to a total of 227 overdoses, including 84 fatal overdoses.
At a second location in Secaucus that allegedly was used by Guest as a “stash house” to store proceeds from his illicit narcotics distribution, investigators seized approximately $200,000 in cash, a Bentley convertible worth an estimated $400,000, and a Range Rover worth an estimated $130,000.
Guest, Woodley and Orama are charged with the following offenses:
- Maintaining a narcotics production facility (first degree)
- Possession of heroin with intent to distribute (first degree)
- Possession of fentanyl with intent to distribute (second degree)
- Possession of fentanyl (third degree)
- Possession of drug paraphernalia (fourth degree)
Guest is also charged with third-degree eluding police. Guest is being held in jail pending a detention hearing. Woodley and Orama were released subject to conditions following detention hearings.
Attorney General Grewal thanked all of the agencies participating in the Opioid Enforcement Task Force and all of the other agencies that assisted in this investigation.
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