LOGAN TWP. — On Sept. 12, 2018, a collaborative effort by law enforcement officers from the Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office – Gangs, Guns, and Narcotics Task Force (GGNTF), and the Logan Township Police Department, seized over 20 pounds or a total of 10 kilograms of suspected Heroin in Logan Township during a traffic stop on I-295.
This was a historical and significant seizure of heroin in Gloucester County, which has been hard hit by over 130 fatal overdoses in 2018.
During the truck stop by the Logan Township Police, a narcotics detection K-9 gave a positive indication for the presence of narcotics within the cab of the tractor-trailer. Officers located the individually packaged and uniquely marked heroin in a hidden compartment within the cab.
The operator of the tractor-trailer, Jose Meza, a resident of California, was arrested and charged accordingly with narcotics offenses including Possession with Intent to Distribute and Possession of a Controlled Dangerous Substance.
Gloucester County Prosecutor Charles “Chuck” Fiore stated, “This seizure represents a major impact on illegal drug distribution activities in our region. Had this heroin reached the streets, it would have likely been mixed with Fentanyl, a deadly opioid that is 80 to 100 times stronger than Morphine. In street-level quantity and price, this amount of heroin would have potentially generated 200,000 to 300,000 individual doses or wax folds being sold for $10 to $15 each to those caught up in the tragic cycle of addiction.
“While we work diligently to extend a helping hand to those in need of assistance and help with their addiction, we will be steadfast in our allied efforts to identify, apprehend and prosecute those who, for the sake of profit, willingly turn a blind eye to the deadly consequences of pushing these drugs into the community. While the defendant may have sought a quick profit from transporting these drugs, the costs to our friends, neighbors and loved ones are immense and our efforts to disrupt these illegal distribution activities will not cease.
“I commend the GCPO personnel involved, as well as the Logan Township Police Department under the leadership of Chief Robert Leash, for their diligence and service to the community,” Fiore stated.
