Essex County NJ authorities arrested nine individuals believed have various levels of involvement with different illegal drug distribution organizations operating out of Newark, NJ.

Law enforcement conducted a series of raids during the early morning hours at the tail end of a lengthy, detailed investigation by the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office Narcotics Task Force. The special task force includes officers from several local police departments in Essex County, New Jersey, including Newark, Bloomfield, and Belleville.

Essex County police also reportedly seized large quantities of illicit narcotics, several motor vehicles, and nearly $500,000 in cash during the drug raids.

Police arrested a total of nine suspects. Most of the suspects are from Newark NJ, with one of the suspects residing in Bayonne, New Jersey.

The suspects face numerous criminal charges, including heroin possession, heroin distribution, cocaine possession, simple possession of marijuana, distribution of a controlled dangerous substance (CDS) near a school, and money laundering.

Some of the suspects also face criminal charges for weapons offenses, like unlawful possession of a weapon, because Essex County authorities allegedly found the men in possession of illegal handguns at the time of the arrests.

For further information about this case, check out the NJ.com article, “9 Arrested, Nearly $500K Seized in Pre-Dawn Newark Drug Raids.”