'Record-Breaking' Drug Bust In South Jersey Nabs 18 Dealing Cocaine: Prosecutor

SALEM COUNTY, NJ — Eighteen people were arrested and a record-breaking amount of drugs were seized from a South Jersey cocaine-trafficking network that distributed cocaine throughout the East Coast, authorities said Monday.

During a two-month investigation, authorities say they linked cocaine suppliers in Puerto Rico to distributors operating in South Jersey's Salem City and Mount Holly.

The drugs were distributed along the East Coast, from New Jersey to Massachusetts, according to the Salem County Prosecutor's Office.

Eight kilograms of cocaine were seized, marking a record-breaking narcotics seizure in Salem County, authorities said.

Fourteen of the defendants are New Jersey residents, while three live in Puerto Rico and one is from Connecticut.

The Salem County Prosecutor's Office collaborated with the FBI, U.S. Department of Homeland Security and more than a dozen other law-enforcement agencies from the local to federal levels.

"A record-breaking seizure of narcotics for Salem County, these arrests confirm the disruption of the primary supply chain of cocaine through Salem County and Salem City," the prosecutor's office said in a statement.

The following people were charged with narcotics and related offenses:

• Ramon R. Bentley, Jr., 48, of Salem
• Diego J. Cruz-Corchado, 28, of Isabela, Puerto Rico
• Gabriel J. Lopez, 28, of Mount Holly
• Abner Martinez-Barreto, 28, of Isabela, Puerto Rico
• Carlos Lebron, 51, of Isabela, Puerto Rico
• David E. Jackson, 47, of Salem
• Timothy A. Taylor, 46, of Salem
• Robert P. Thomas, 74, of Pennsville
• Michael A. Washington, 65, of Salem
• Khalid A. Roots, 37, of Salem
• Kevin M. Turner, 41, of Salem
• Lawrence A. Moore, 34, of Salem
• Carlos R. Vasquez, 24, of Mount Holly
• Angel L. Rivera-Gonzalez, 29, of Williamantic, Connecticut
• Adrianna I. Piserchia, 21, of Mount Holly
• Tanisha Badillo-Vazquez, 26, of Mount Holly
• Meraris Z. Lopez-Adorno, 25, of Mount Holly
• Belgica Marroquin, 31, of Trenton

Anyone with additional information regarding this investigation can contact Investigator Jonathan Hart of the Salem County Prosecutor's Office at 856-935-7510 ext. 8333.

If you or someone you love is struggling with addiction, the prosecutor's office encourages you to contact Salem County Rescue. Call 609-910-4942 to speak to a recovery coach available 24/7 or email SalemCountyRESCUE@salemcountynj.gov.