15th Arrest In Ongoing Hudson County Drug Investigation That Ensnared Police

HUDSON COUNTY, NJ — Fifteen people have now been ensnared in an ongoing investigation into a drug production operation in Hudson County that has included the arrests of police officers, prosecutors say.

This past Tuesday, prosecutors said, members of the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office Narcotics Task Force and Internal Affairs Unit arrested a North Bergen woman.

Melissa Brown, 50, has charged with conspiracy to distribute (cocaine) and conspiracy to possess (cocaine) in connection with the probe.

She was arrested at the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office in Secaucus and taken to the Hudson County Correctional Facility to await her first court appearance, prosecutors said.

To date, prosecutors say, investigators have seized more than four kilograms of suspected cocaine, two handguns, and more than $70,000 in cash.

Early on the morning of July 17, officers from the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office executed search warrants at locations in North Bergen, West New York, and Union City.

That was when they arrested the first seven people in connection with the probe – including a dispatcher with the West New York Police Department, a retired detective from the West New York Police Department, and a Hudson County Correctional Police Officer.

A North Bergen police officer was arrested at his precinct weeks later.

They also uncovered a narcotics production facility.

Read prior coverage:

• READ MORE: Cop Cuffed In His Own Precinct, Charged In North Jersey Drug Probe
• READ MORE: 7 Arrested In Hudson County Drug Bust

The investigation is continuing, prosecutors said.