Lacey Police, Prosecutor's Office Charge Holiday City Woman With Numerous Drug Offenses

Lacey Township - A joint investigation by the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office and Lacey Township police led to the arrest of a Berkeley Township woman on multiple drug charges, Capt. Jack Sramaty said.

The short-term probe into drug activity in the Lacey Township area identified Karen Thompson, 52, Castleton Drive as a person who was transporting heroin and other drugs into the township, he said.

During the early afternoon hours of Sept.26, 2016, detectives from the Prosecutor's Special Operations Group, Southern Enforcement Unit and Lacey detectives spotted Thompson in the area of Route 9, near the ShopRite plaza.

Detectives approached Thompson after a brief surveillance and began searching her backpack. Sramaty said.

They seized over 100 individual dosage units of heroin, cocaine, over 100 Suboxone pills, Oxycodone and Xanax. They also found a loaded .22 caliber handgun, he said.

Thompson was arrested and transported to the Lacey Township Police Department.

Thompson, was charged with possession of heroin, possession of heroin with intent to distribute, possession of suboxone, possession of suboxone with intent to distribute, possession of cocaine, possession of Oxycodone, possession of Xanax, possession of a firearm during the commission of a CDS offense and certain persons not to possess a firearm, Sramaty said.

Ocean County Superior Court Judge Patricia B. Roe set bail at $200,000 cash. Thompson was taken to the Ocean County Jail in Toms River.

Images: Ocean County Prosecutor's Office.