Police in New Jersey have arrested six people in connection with alleged drug dealing in Atlantic City. The suspects face heroin, cocaine and marijuana possession and distribution charges. The Atlantic City Police Department announced the arrests on Jan. 19. Two of the suspects have been released. The other four are being detained at the Atlantic County Justice Facility.
Two-month investigation
Police took four of the suspects into custody following an investigation lasting two months that focused on possible narcotics sales in a Dr. Martin Luther King Jr Boulevard apartment building. On Jan. 13, a SWAT team assisted Drug Enforcement Administration agents and ACPD investigators when they searched two of the building’s apartments. They allegedly seized approximately 34 grams of heroin, about 17 grams of powder cocaine, more than 300 grams of marijuana, five handguns and $1,000 in U.S. currency.
Search warrant executed
Officers from the ACPD’s Special Investigations Section arrested the other two suspects on Jan. 15 when they executed a search warrant at a residence on Pacific Avenue. During the course of the search, the officers allegedly found 176 small plastic bags containing a substance believed to be heroin, an undisclosed number of prescription pills, about 2 ounces of cocaine and a small quantity of marijuana along with items often used to distribute illegal drugs. The two Atlantic City men face a possible sentence enhancement because police allegedly seized the drugs in a school zone.
Challenging search warrants
Evidence seized by police officers executing search warrants is not always admissible in court. Experienced criminal defense attorneys may argue that drug charges should be dismissed if police officers searched areas not mentioned in the warrants or could have obtained the authority to search based on insufficient probable cause. This is why attorneys may advise suspects to remain silent even if their situations seem dire.
