Detectives found over 10,000 cocaine vials, several hundred grams of cocaine, $17,600 in cash, and a handgun with an extended magazine. As a result, Edwin Medina, 32, and his mother Sandra Almodovar, 51, both of Newark, were charged, according to Essex County Prosecutor Theodore N. Stephens, II.
In a series of early morning searches at locations in Newark and Bloomfield, detectives from the ECPO Narcotics Task Force first seized more than a kilogram of suspected cocaine, according to Stephens.
Subsequently, investigators were able to secure search warrants approved by the court for four north Newark locations and one Bloomfield apartment. Detectives concurrently executed the warrants and retrieved with assistance from the Essex County Sheriff’s Tactical Response Team, the Bloomfield Police Emergency Response Team, and the Newark Police SWAT Team, the prosecutor stated.
- About 10,400 vials of cocaine that have been prepared for distribution
- An extra 640 grams of cocaine that was not packaged
- A 9-millimeter pistol featuring an extended magazine
- About $17,600 in currency
- Three cars
- Many expensive pieces of jewelry.
On allegations of first-degree possession of a controlled dangerous substance with the intent to distribute, possession of a pistol while committing a narcotics felony, and numerous additional narcotics offenses, Medina and Almodovar were both placed under arrest.
