Bergen Man With Loaded Gun, 3 Kilos Of Heroin Arrested: Attorney

A Bergen County man was arrested with 3 kilograms of heroin, a loaded .22-caliber pistol, and tens of thousands of dollars in cash hidden inside his minivan, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced.

Jose Pena aka "Gucci," 31, of Cliffside Park, was charged with conspiracy to distribute 1 kilogram or more of heroin, Carpenito said.

Authorities conducted surveillance on Pena on Monday and Tuesday.

On Monday, they saw him drive into a public garage near the Botanical Gardens in Bronx, New York where they thought he kept illegal drugs in a minivan, Carpenito said.

On Tuesday, Pena drove to the garage and go into the minivan, Carpenito said. They found several softball-sized bags of suspected heroin, a stolen .22-caliber handgun loaded with 13 bullets in a high-capacity magazine in a backpack near Pena, and "tens of thousands of dollars" in cash in a secret compartment behind the radio and air conditioning controls, he said.

Pena faces a minimum 10-year sentence, with the possibility of life, and a $10 million fine on the conspiracy to distribute charge.

Email: daniel.hubbard@patch.com

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