SOUTH ORANGE — Mushrooms and more than four pounds of illegal marijuana were seized by police in a raid that involved the use of aerial drones and a drug sniffing dog at a residence not far from Columbia High School and Our Lady of Sorrows school.
At 6 a.m. on Nov. 13, members of the South Orange Police Department with assistance from the Orange Police Department and the Millburn Police Department executed a search warrant on Academy Street which resulted in the seizure of over four and a half pounds of illegal marijuana, mushrooms, cannabis edibles and about 32 ounces of Promethazine syrup.
Promethazine syrup is mixed with Sprite to make a spritzer that gives the user a high, according to police.
“Since you can only get it with a prescription, it makes it a novelty,” Police Chief Ernesto Morillo said.
Police also seized $982 in cash and equipment normally used to grow vegetation indoors, packaging material and scales normally used to package items for individual sale.
The sting operation came about when a citizen tip was brought to the attention of the police department triggering an investigation. Columbia students were known buyers, police said.
Detectives contacted the Essex County Prosecutors Office to advise them of the situation and they received proper guidance to meet the standard of probable cause required for the approval of a search warrant.
Detectives began hours of surveillance on the house over multiple days and were able to observe hand to hand transactions on multiple occasions.
After planning the execution of the search warrant, Millburn police were contacted and agreed to help by providing aerial drones to give an overhead view of the house during the search to ensure that anyone trying to exit the house would be seen by their drones.
Orange police assisted with their drug sniffing K-9.
Charges were brought against Idris Carter, 24, and his brother Zakee Moxey, 23, both residents of South Orange.
Criminal complaints were filed with charges ranging from possession of a controlled dangerous substance (CDS), possession of a CDS with intent to distribute, possession with intent to distribute a prescription legend drug, distribution of psilocybin (mushrooms) a schedule I narcotic drug, possession of paraphernalia, possession with intent to distribute within 1000 feet of a school and conspiracy charges. Academy Street begins at Columbia High School on the Maplewood side and runs to South Orange Avenue, passing Our Lady of Sorrows School along the way.
This operation was conducted without incident or injury to any of the suspects or officers present.
“It is a testament to what can be accomplished when you have the trust of the community to inform the police of suspected criminal activity and the support of our neighboring jurisdictions to provide the necessary resources and equipment to conduct successful law enforcement operations,” Morillo said in a statement.
The team was supervised by Detective Sgt. F. Auriemma and led by Detective M. Hunt and included Detective S. Leacock, Detective N. Nasisi and Detective H. Felix.
Both arrested men were remanded to the Essex county Jail.
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