Sheriff's Officers Make Drug, Weapons Arrests

Five people were arrested on drug charges yesterday by Essex County Sheriff’s officers, the sheriff’s office said in a statement, including four people who were observed taking part in drug buys near 31 Aldine St. around noon yesterday.

Narcotics detectives were conducting surveillance in the South Ward as part of an ongoing investigation into drug trafficking in the area when they reportedly witnessed city residents Derrick Camillo, 49, and Eric Ford, 43, approach Talon Thomas, 27, who was standing in front of his Aldiine Street home.
   
After a brief conversation, the sheriff’s officers allegedly observed as Thomas walked down his driveway, opened a door, and bent down to retrieve items on the floor in a blue bag.Thomas then returned to Camillo and Ford and exchanged the items for cash.

    The undercover officers followed the two men until they were out of Thomas’s sight, then detained Camillo and Ford.  Both suspects were found to be holding glassine envelopes of heroin stamped “Silver Black”. 

    Officers then radioed the information to other detectives still observing  31 Aldine St., where they allegedly witnessed  Thomas walking back down his driveway to Donalda McNair,  43, also of Newark.
   
When officers approached, McNair threw an item to the ground and attempted to walk away from the scene at a fast pace.  She was quickly detained and the item she had discarded was also found to be a glassine envelope containing heroin, the Sheriff’s Office said. Detectives then found 202 glassine envelopes of heroin, also stamped “Silver Black,”  near the doorway of the home Thomas had been seen entering.

    Also recovered was a large clear plastic bag containing more than a half pound of cocaine,   a fully loaded .22 caliber DM-22 handgun, a prescription bottle filled with hollow point and round bullets, and a scale.

    Thomas was charged with two counts each of possession of a controlled dangerous substance and possession with intent to distribute.  He was further charged with three counts of the sale of drugs and one count each of unlawful possession of a weapon, possession of a weapon for unlawful purposes, possession of a weapon by a convicted felon, possession of a weapon while committing a narcotics crime, possession of illegal hollow point bullets and possession of narcotics paraphernalia.

    At today’s arraignment Judge Roslyn Holmes – Grant ordered Thomas held at the county jail in lieu of $350,000 cash bond.

    Camillo and Ford were charged with possession.  They are scheduled for arraignment on May 2. McNair was charged with possession and was found to be the subject of an open criminal warrant issued by the Newark municipal court.  She was also lodged at the Essex County Correctional Facility and will be arraigned at a later date.

Also yesterday an Irvington man was arrested and charged with drug offenses after he was spotted in a known drug trafficking area.
   
Sheriff’s officers were on quality of life patrol at 5 pm in the area of Osborne Terrace and Hawthorne Avenue in Newark when a license plate check of a passing 1993 Toyota Paseo revealed that the vehicle’s  registered owner, Michael Hunt, 35, had been suspended of his driving privileges.

    When officers stopped the car they reportedly detected the aroma of marijuana and also allegedly saw a large bag containing 29 smaller bags of marijuana protruding from beneath the driver’s seat.

Hunt was placed under arrest and charged with possession of a controlled dangerous substance and possession with intent to distribute, and was also found to be wanted on an outstanding Newark warrant for wandering in a known drug trafficking area.