Big drug bust nails AWOL soldier
Two Newark men were apprehended during a suspected drug deal just outside the southern tip of Yantacaw Park and just a half-block from Holy Family parochial school on the night of June 13.
Undercover police detectives arrested Cory Hicks, 25, and Abubakir Muhammad, 24, after observing what police described as an apparent narcotics transaction at Franklin Ave. and Harrison St. at 9:30 p.m.
Police said the plainclothes unit observed several small plastic packages thrown from the window of a 2000 Lexus and those packages were later found to contain what was believed to be crack cocaine.
Police said detectives recovered 79 bags of suspected crack cocaine, 85 bags of a white substance believed to be heroin and 55 vials of suspected powder cocaine, all packaged for alleged distribution, along with unidentified narcotics paraphernalia.
They also seized 100 bags of suspected marijuana and residue.
Hicks, who, according to police, was listed as being away without leave from the military, was charged with possession of drugs, distribution within 500 feet of a park and within 1,000 feet of a school and possession of drug paraphernalia. He was taken to Essex County Jail, Newark, on $50,000 bail.
Muhammad was charged with possession of drugs. Police said he also had an outstanding warrant out of Belleville. Muhammad was released, pending a court hearing, after posting $5,000 bail.
A third party who was inside the car with the two suspects wasn’t charged, nor was the woman driving the vehicle, which, according to police, was registered to another individual.
In an unrelated incident on June 14, at 10:50 p.m., police detectives stopped a motorist, David Connolly, 40, of Lyndhurst, for alleged motor vehicle violations on Washington Ave. near Park Ave.
But Connolly was soon in more trouble after detectives found that the driver had prescription medication for which he had no prescription, according to police. Police said detectives recovered packages of white powder, unidentified pills, Oxycontin pills and unidentified paraphernalia.
Connolly was arrested on charges of possession of drugs and possession of paraphernalia and was released after being issued a summons for a court appearance.
Nutley Police Director/Mayor Alphonse Petracco credited the detectives for their vigilance. “Drug offenders will not be tolerated in this town,” he said.
In other incidents logged by police for the past week:
June 15
At 9:27 a.m. police and Rescue Squad members responded to Wilson Ave. where, police said, a 26-year-old woman tripped over an exposed water pipe, suffering deep cuts and ankle injuries. She was taken to an area hospital for treatment.
June 14
A red dump truck was reported stolen from an Essex St. home at 11:48 p.m.
An intruder tried to break into a Parallel Ave. house at 7:42 p.m. The occupants told police they heard noises, then heard their 2-year-old child say “hello’’ to someone. Next, they spotted two men running from the side of the house, police said. Police are investigating.
June 13
Three residents called police within a 45-minute span, between 9:14 and 9:59 p.m., to report their homes had been “egged.” The vandalism took place on Bloomfield Ave., Highfield Ave. and Walnut St., police said. At 9:30 p.m. police said a resident reported spotting a juvenile in a silver vehicle driving around and throwing eggs at homes. Residents were advised of their rights to sign criminal mischief charges.
A neighborhood dispute brought police to a Crestwood Ave. location at 5:03 p.m. where a resident complained that a woman’s dogs were allegedly digging holes in her garden. The dog’s owner was issued summons for unlicensed dogs.
Someone swiped a lawn flag from in front of a Brookline Ave. resident’s home about around 5 p.m., police said.
June 12
A sports-minded thief struck gold when he came upon a golf bag left unattended by the owner outside the front door of a Lakeside Drive home. Police said the owner returned for the bag, only to find it had been opened and more than $800 worth of clubs gone. Police logged the report at 9:12 a.m.
June 11
A Franklin Ave. tenant was surprised by the appearance of an unknown man at her window, at 10:46 p.m., asking for someone who didn’t live there. After he was told that no one by that name lived there, the man climbed back down the fire escape and left, the tenant told police.
June 10
A Plymouth Road resident emptying a swimming pool experienced a malfunction, causing significant flooding to a neighbor’s basement, police said. The incident was reported at 6:46 p.m.
Police responded to reports of a brawl at a Centre St. bar at 1:43 a.m. There, on the ground, they found the victim, having suffered scrapes and minor injuries. Police said the suspected assailant was located outside the bar but denied any involvement. A day earlier, police went to the same bar at 1:47 a.m. to check out a reported fight but no charges were filed.
June 9
Police discovered several adult pornographic magazines “strategically laid out” on a bench in Father Glotzbach Park, off Grant Ave., at 4:40 p.m. Police said the reading materials were “in viewing proximity of small children.”
An angry crowd, upset over a dog left unattended for more than an hour in a car parked outside a Franklin Ave. store, confronted the owner, causing police to intervene at 4:23 p.m. Police calmed everyone and advised them of their rights to sign complaints. No summonses were issued.
June 8
A 33-year-old man cleaning gutters at a Mountainview Ave. residence suffered multiple injuries after falling off the roof at around 5 p.m., police said. He was taken to an area hospital for treatment.
A Nutley High School student was allegedly assaulted while entering his car in Municipal Lot 1, police said. The incident was reported at 12:34 p.m. Police are investigating. – Ron Leir
