According to Essex County Prosecutor Theodore N. Stephens II, detectives seized over 10,000 vials of cocaine, several hundred grams of cocaine, a handgun with an extended magazine, and $17,600 in cash. These findings led to charges against Edwin Medina, 32, and his mother, Sandra Almodovar, 51, both residents of Newark.
According to Stephens, the ECPO Narcotics Task Force detectives conducted a series of early morning raids in Newark and Bloomfield, resulting in the seizure of over a kilogram of suspected cocaine.
After obtaining court-authorized search warrants, detectives were able to raid four locations in north Newark and an apartment in Bloomfield. With the assistance of the Newark Police SWAT Team, the Essex County Sheriff’s Tactical Response Team, and the Bloomfield Police Emergency Response Team, the detectives executed the warrants simultaneously. As a result, the prosecutor revealed that they were able to recover the following items.
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- Approximately 10,400 vials of cocaine-packaged for distribution
- An additional 640 grams of unpackaged cocaine
- A 9-millimeter handgun with an extended magazine
- Approximately $17,600 in cash
- Three motor vehicles
- Several pieces of high-end jewelry.
Medina and Almodovar faced charges of possessing a controlled dangerous substance with the intent to distribute in the first degree, as well as possession of a handgun while committing a narcotics offense, among other narcotics-related offenses.
