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2004
Media Releases:
CAMDEN COUNTY PROSECUTOR'S OFFICE
VINCENT P. SARUBBI, CAMDEN COUNTY PROSECUTOR
MEDIA INFORMATION
January 23, 2004
Camden County Prosecutor Vincent P. Sarubbi, N.J. State Police Superintendent
Col. Rick Fuentes and Acting Camden Police Chief Edwin Figueroa reported
today that officers arrested 31 people during an undercover drug operation
on Thursday night, Jan. 22, 2004, in Camden, N.J.
The operation, known as a "reversal" because law enforcement officers
pose as drug sellers and arrest would-be buyers, was conducted at
25th and High streets between 6:30 p.m. and 10 p.m. last night. The
defendants were charged on summonses with Attempt to Purchase a Controlled
Dangerous Substance - heroin, crack cocaine or marijuana. The third-degree
charge carries a maximum five years in prison upon conviction. One
defendant was charged with Obstruction of Justice, carrying a maximum
18-month term. Thirteen were remanded to the Camden County Correctional
Facility for outstanding warrants.
The operation was a cooperative effort between city, county, state
and federal law enforcement agencies. It was carried out by the Camden
High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force (HIDTA) and the Camden
Anti-Crime Partnership (CAP). HIDTA and CAP are made up of personnel
from the Camden County Prosecutor's Office, Camden Police, New Jersey
State Police, New Jersey Division of Criminal Justice, Camden County
Sheriff's Department, FBI and DEA, the Delaware River Port Authority
Police and the Camden County Corrections Department.
Of those arrested, 19, or 59 percent, live outside the City of Camden.
Historically, the majority of defendants arrested in reversal operations
have come from outside the city to purchase illegal narcotics.
"The latest operation confirms once again that the drug problem is
not simply a Camden problem, but reaches deep into the suburbs as
well," Sarubbi said. "We will continue to target both the supply and
demand for drugs in both urban and suburban areas."
Reversals are just one strategy in an array of drug enforcement techniques
that also includes undercover operations targeting drug sellers, sweeps
of known drug trafficking areas or "sets," and long-term investigations
targeting major drug suppliers, Sarubbi noted.
All persons charged with criminal offenses are presumed innocent unless
and until proven guilty in a court of law.
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