7 Morris County suspects arrested in alleged drug ring

A five-month investigation that began in Morristown has resulted in the arrest of 16 people operating a multi-state cocaine distribution in five New Jersey counties, including Morris, and New York City.

The arrests, including four Dover residents and one each from Rockaway, Madison and Parsippany, were announced Thursday by Morris County Prosecutor Fredric M. Knapp. Multiple search warrants also resulted in the seizure of 930 grams of cocaine, approximately 4 pounds of marijuana, 13 vehicles used by the defendants during their alleged illegal activity and more than $7,000 in cash proceeds from alleged drug sales.

The street value of the seized cocaine was estimated at $93,000, Knapp said in a statement.

The investigation was initiated, according to Knapp, based on intelligence gathered by an unnamed Morristown patrolman. The Narcotics Task Force of the Morris County Prosecutor's Office cultivated this intelligence with the Morristown police, which led to the formation of a multi-agency task force to investigate what they believed to be an interstate drug-distribution enterprise in Morris, Passaic, Bergen, Hudson and union counties and New York.

According to Knapp, the task force was able to "infiltrate and dismantle" a drug network responsible for the importation of multiple kilograms of cocaine into New Jersey.

Knapp also noted that 13 of the 16 suspects arrested were more than 40 years old, the eldest being 69. Six of the defendants were identified as past violent offenders.

Julio C. Santana, 51, of Bronx, N.Y. is alleged to have imported bulk quantities of cocaine into New Jersey that he sold to numerous New Jersey-based street-level cocaine distributors. He was charged with 20 cocaine-related offenses, including possession of cocaine with intent to distribute greater than five ounces. As of Thursday, he remained in the Morris County Correctional Facility on $500,000 bail.

Morris County residents arrested by the task force include Jairo Rada-Medina, 44, of Dover, who was charged with five counts of conspiracy to possess or distribute cocaine. Reda-Medina was lodged at the correctional facility on $150,000 bail.

Dover residents Israel Santa, 51, and Carlos Escobar, 27, also were hit with multiple cocaine-related charges. Santa is being held on $125,000 bail. Bail for escobar was set at $150,000. A fourth Dover resident, Angelica G. Villanueva, 26, was charged with possession and intent to distribute marijuana, and later released on her own recognizance.

Johel Teo, 43, of Rockaway also was kept at the correctional facility on $150,000 bail after being charged with possession and conspiracy to distribute cocaine. Rosemberg Giraldo-Arboleda, 48, of Madison and Carlos Andreas Salinas-Cartagena, 35, of Lake Hiawatha section of Parsippany were both charged with a single count of conspiracy to possess cocaine (third degree) and released on their own recognizance.

Five other defendants from outside Morris County also were taken to the county facility. One defendant was jailed at the Passaic County Correctional Facility, and another was being held at Riker's Island in new York pending extradition to New Jersey.

Superior Court Judge Stuart A. Minkowitz in Morristown authorized the warrant complaints and bails for all defendants.

"I am particularly pleased with the success of this operation as the majority of the subjects arrested were wholesale drug distributors as opposed to lower level drug dealers or users," Knapp stated in the release announcing the arrests. "The Morris County Prosecutor's Office Narcotics Task Force partners with other law enforcement agencies to aggressively pursue networks and individuals who import illegal drugs into our communities. This investigation demonstrates how the cooperation of multiple agencies, even on an interstate basis, can effectively thwart the efforts of dealers who are bringing illegal drugs into Morris County."

The investigation was led by Capt. Michael Rice, Lt. V. Harrison Dillard and Sgt. Joseph Costello of the Morris County Prosecutor's Office Special Operations Division. The prosecution is being handled by Assistant Prosecutor Joseph Napurano of the Special Operations Division and is supervised by Supervising Assistant Prosecutor Bradford Seabury.

Knapp thanked Chief Peter Demnitz and the Morristown Bureau of Police, the Morris County Prosecutor's Office Special Enforcement Unit (Narcotics Task Force), Passaic County Prosecutor's Office, Bergen County Prosecutor's Office, Office of the Special Narcotics Prosecutor for the City of New York, Hudson County Prosecutor's Office, United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Montville Township Police Department, Morris County Sheriff's Office (Criminal Investigation Section, K-9 and Sheriff's Emergency Response Team), Morris County Park Police, Parsippany Troy Hills Police Department, Jefferson Township Police Department, New Jersey State Parole, Madison Borough Police Department, Morris Township Police Department, Randolph Township Police Department, Rockaway Township Police Department, New Jersey State Police, Union City Police Department, City of Passaic Police Department, Rockaway Borough Police Department, Hudson County Sheriff's Office, Borough of Dumont Police Department and City of Englewood Police Department for their roles in the investigation and arrests.

Staff Writer William Westhoven: 973-428-6627; wwesthoven@dailyrecord.com.