Dozens of guns, thousands of doses of heroin, cocaine seized as NJ busts traffickers

EWING — Multiple gun and drug trafficking operations responsible for distributing heroin linked to dozens of fatal overdoses were busted by authorities in Trenton and Paterson last week, New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal announced on Thursday.

The long-term stings led to the arrests of 28 people, the dismantling of two "sophisticated" opioid mills in Paterson and the seizure of 22 guns, 38,000 doses of heroin and 900 grams of cocaine, Grewal said during a news conference at the New Jersey State Police headquarters in Ewing.

Grewal was surrounded by local, state and federal authorities he called instrumental in investigating and taking down the illicit operations.

“We are having a real impact on public safety all across our state, particularly in some of our most dangerous cities,” said Veronica Allende, director of the state Division of Criminal Justice. “Each gun we take off the street is potentially a murder or serious shooting that we prevent. Each dose of heroin or fentanyl that we seize is potentially an overdose averted.”

The drugs seized in Trenton and Paterson are the same brands linked to 57 overdoses, 26 of them fatal, according to Grewal.

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The Trenton bust focused on that city’s west end and targeted two brothers, Jeffrey Johnson, 41, and Lateef Gibson, 37, authorities allege were involved in drug and gun trafficking. Johnson is accused of conspiring with others to sell an AR-15-style rifle with a large-capacity magazine and five handguns, authorities say. Johnson also sold 17 bricks of heroin, while Gibson conspired with others to sell nearly 110 bricks of heroin and fentanyl, plus over 300 grams of cocaine, they said.

The brothers are facing a total of 73 counts of drug and weapon possession and distribution.

Johnson, Gibson and seven other of the Trenton defendants will be detained until prosecutors make the argument that they should remain jailed through trial, Allenda said Thursday. Three of the other Trenton defendants are being held on prior charges and six were released, she said.

The Paterson bust focused on an alleged gang leader named Kashard Whitaker, 41, who authorities said commanded a ring of drug suppliers and street-level distributors. Whitaker’s suspected suppliers are Miguel Guerrero-Santana, 29, and Carlos Nunez, 32, who authorities said operated opioid mills on 11th Avenue and Grand Street in Paterson.

At the mills, which officers searched on Friday, drug dealers used coffee grinders to mix heroin and fentanyl with cutting agents, then packaged the laced heroin into individual doses known as “wax folds” branded with names like Empire, Tuna Fish and Tailgate, authorities said.

Whitaker was buying up to 30,000 of the wax folds every week, they said.

NJ Attorney General Gurbir Grewal speaks about major drug and gun busts in Paterson and Trenton

Of the Paterson defendants, Whitaker, Guerrero-Santana, Nunez and a fourth man were ordered detained through their trials. Prosecutors will seek to have a fifth person jailed until trial and the others were released, according to Allende. 

Grewal said New Jersey is facing two public health epidemics, one because of opioids and the other because of gun violence. His office is tackling both by focusing on prevention, treatment and enforcement, he said.

“But when we bring enforcement actions, we do it the smart way,” Grewal said. “Not by rounding up every person on every corner, but by going after the most dangerous criminals and by targeting the sources of the guns and the drugs that plague each of our cities and our streets in this state. “

Grewal said the local, state and federal cooperation that led to these busts should be a signal to anyone hoping to fill the void left by those now behind bars. Trenton Mayor Reed Gusciora, who was on hand for Thursday’s announcement, agreed.

“I think there’s a lot of people who are standing on street corners raising their eyebrows and wondering if they’re next,” Gusciora said. “And they should wonder if they’re next.”

Email: mcdonaldt@northjersey.com