IRVINGTON, NJ — Two competing drug distribution rings, operating out of the same address, were shut down on Wednesday, Feb. 3, and four suspects were arrested as the result of simultaneous raids conducted by a law enforcement narcotics task force comprised of Essex County sheriff’s detectives and officers from the Irvington and Bloomfield police departments.
The four suspects were arraigned on multiple narcotics and weapons charges on Thursday, Feb. 4.
Sheriff Armando Fontoura stated that the task force officers armed with search warrants 0n Wednesday, Feb. 3, raided apartments on the first and fourth floors of 5 Thomas St. in Newark.
Prior to entering the residence, Nelson Camacho, 24, a reputed Bloods gang member and the lessee of the fourth-floor apartment, was placed under arrest when he was found to be in possession of four bags of marijuana. Inside Camacho’s apartment, the sheriff’s Bureau of Narcotics and the municipal police officers discovered and seized 143 grams of heroin, 319 grams of “crack” cocaine, a fully loaded Smith & Wesson 9mm semi-automatic handgun and a wide variety of drug packaging and processing materials, including digital scales, strainers, heat sealers and street distribution envelopes.
“At the same time, our officers made a forced entry into the first floor apartment,” Fontoura said. “Another reputed Bloods gang member, Joseph Segler, age 26, was immediately detained and his roommate, Sean Cogdell, age 26, was discovered in a rear bedroom. Cogdell was in the process of throwing items out of a window while holding a fully loaded Taurus 9mm semi-automatic weapon.”
Cogdell was ordered to drop his weapon and he complied without further incident.
Also in the bedroom was Cogdell’s girlfriend and roommate, Sadiquah Street, 27.
The search of the first-floor apartment and the recovery from the items thrown out of the window yielded a second fully loaded Smith & Wesson 9mm semi-automatic handgun, a box of 9mm ammunition, 17 grams of “crack” cocaine, 40 grams of heroin and 41 grams of marijuana.
The street value of the narcotics found in both apartments is nearly $100,000.
The weapons seized in the first floor apartment were found to be stolen out of Henrico County, Va., and Raleigh County, W.V. Camacho was charged with two counts each of possession of controlled dangerous substances, possession of controlled dangerous substances with intent to distribute, possession of controlled dangerous substances with intent to distribute within 1,000 feet of Lady Liberty Academy Charter School and possession of controlled dangerous substances with intent to distribute within 500 feet of public housing.
Camacho was also charged with the unlawful possession of a weapon, possession of a weapon while committing a controlled dangerous substances crime and possession of narcotics paraphernalia.
Segler, Cogdell and Street each had twenty weapons and narcotics possession and distribution charges were filed against them.
At the arraignment on Thursday, Feb. 4, cash bonds only were imposed on Camacho for $250,000, Segler for $150,000, Cogdell for $150,000 and Street for $150,000.
All four suspects were lodged at the Essex County jail.
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