Heroin, Cocaine Seized, Mercer Men Charged In Ocean County Drug Bust

MERCER COUNTY, NJ - After a two month long investigation, two Mercer County men were arrested and charged for being involved in distribution of drugs in Ocean County, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said.

Jireh Mathis, 27, and Tashawn McDonald, 23, both of Trenton, were arrested at an apartment complex in Toms River after about a month of surveillance, Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said.

A search after his arrest found Mathis had about 500 wax folds of heroin/fentanyl and 10 grams of cocaine, the prosecutor's office said.

In total, authorities seized about 1,500 wax folds of heroin/fentanyl and 25 grams of cocaine throughout the course of the investigation, he said.

Authorities began surveillance of the two men in early December, the prosecutor's office said, and on Jan. 22, they were seen arriving at the Green Meadow Apartment Complex in Toms River in a vehicle operated by Mathis. As they got out of the vehicle, detectives from the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Narcotics Strike Force approached them; Mathis tried to run but was caught and arrested, Billhimer said. McDonald was arrested without incident, the prosecutor's office said.

Mathis was charged with possession of more than one-half ounce but less than 5 ounces of heroin with intent to distribute, possession of more than one-half ounce but less than 5 ounces of cocaine with intent to distribute, conspiracy to distribute more than one-half ounce but less than 5 ounces of heroin, conspiracy to distribute more than one-half ounce but less than 5 ounces of cocaine, possession of heroin, possession of cocaine, and resisting arrest, the prosecutor's office said.

Mathis is being held in the Ocean County Jail in Toms River pending trial.

McDonald was charged with conspiracy to distribute more than one-half ounce but less than 5 ounces of heroin, and conspiracy to distribute more than one-half ounce but less than 5 ounces of cocaine, the prosecutor's office said.

McDonald was released on a summons pending an upcoming first appearance in Ocean County Superior Court, the prosecutor's office said.

Detectives from the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Narcotics Strike Force collaborated with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration — High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas Monmouth/Ocean Post of Duty (HIDTA/MOPOD) Group 5; Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office; Camden County Prosecutor’s Office; New Jersey State Police Crime Suppression Unit; Toms River Township Police Department's Patrol Division, Special Enforcement Unit, and K-9 Unit; Manchester Township Police Department's Detective Bureau and Narcotics Enforcement Team, and the Ocean County Sheriff’s Office, on the investigation.