Newark Man Allegedly Dealt Drugs from North Ward Apartment

A 55-year-old city man was arrested Wednesday by Essex County Sheriff’s officers after they raided an apartment allegedly being used to distribute drugs.

Jerome Simmons was arraigned Thursday and held on $200,000 bail on several narcotics charges, including possession and distribution.

Officers from the Bureau of Narcotics executed a search warrant at 131 Grafton Ave. as part of an ongoing investigation into North Ward drug trafficking and found Simmons as well as two women, Carrie Rodriguez, 46, of Nutley, and Katelyn Flanagan, 26 of Newark. Rodriguez was wanted on a state Superior Court warrant and Flanagan was wanted on a larceny warrant issued by police in West Bolyston, Mass.

After the three were detained, officers searched the apartment and reportedly discovered cupboards containing safes in the bedroom. One safe was open and contained 77 glassine envelopes of heroin stamped with the words “The Wire” in green ink. Another three safes were forced open and contained 64 more envelopes and 22 grams of cocaine. Yet another safe was found bolted to the bottom of a bedroom dresser and contained 240 more envelopes of heroin, which were stamped “91/2” in red, the sheriff’s office said. Packaging and processing materials were also found.