News
Red Bank Police Arrest Five For Sale Of Narcotics
By John Burton
RED BANK - Borough police have arrested five borough residents and charged them with a series of narcotics offenses alleging they sold heroin and cocaine from a west side residence.
Last Thursday police arrested Joel Mejia-Sarabia, 39, Palemon Mejia-Sarabia, 43, Teofilo Perez-Mejia, 31, Fidel Mejia-Perez, 33, and Gabriel Mejia-Fera, 21, and charged each of the five with two counts of possession of a controlled dangerous substance, possession of a controlled dangerous substance within 1,000 feet of a school zone, and possession of a controlled dangerous substance with the intent to distribute, according to a statement released by the police on Monday.
Members of the department's detective division have been conducting an investigation for the last two months concerning drug sales at 176-178 Drs. James Parker Boulevard, according to police.
The investigation led to a search of the residence and the arrest of the five suspects on Aug. 14. During the course of the search, police allegedly located two "bricks" of suspected heroin, which according to police has an estimated street value of more than $1,000. A brick usually contains about 50 individual bags or decks of heroin, according to police.
All five of the suspects were living at that address at the time of their arrest, on Tuesday said Captain Stephen McCarthy, a police spokesman.
Police also discovered a number of individually packaged bags of what investigators believe to be cocaine, worth about $1,200 in street sales; and a quantity of individually packaged bags of what police said they suspect is marijuana, valued at roughly $225.
Municipal Court Judge William Himelman set each of the suspects' bail at $115,000 and the five are currently being held at the Monmouth County Correctional Facility, in Freehold, according to police.
Police received assistance in the investigation from the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Gang Task Force and from the FBI's Jersey Shore Gang Task Force, according to police.
Police and the task forces are continuing their investigation to determine if the five and the alleged drug activity are gang related, McCarthy said.
McCarthy did acknowledge there are familial ties with some of these suspects to some individuals who were arrested in a cooperative investigation and sweep with borough police and federal immigration authorities conducted two years ago. Some of the individuals arrested in 2006 were found to be living at this Drs. James Parker Boulevard address, McCarthy said.
