2005 Media Releases:

CAMDEN COUNTY PROSECUTOR'S OFFICE
VINCENT P. SARUBBI, CAMDEN COUNTY PROSECUTOR
MEDIA   INFORMATION

July 8, 2005

Camden County Prosecutor Vincent P. Sarubbi and Camden Police Chief Edwin J. Figueroa reported today that 27 people were arrested last night, Thursday, July 7, 2005, during a sting operation targeting would-be drug buyers in Camden, N.J.

The operation, known as a reversal, involved officers posing as drug dealers at 20th & High streets, an open-air drug trafficking area, or "set," in the city's East Camden section. The operation was conducted between 5 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. by the Philadelphia-Camden High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) task force.

The 27 arrestees were charged with Attempt to Obtain a Controlled Dangerous Substance (heroin and/or cocaine), a third-degree offense carrying a maximum five years in prison upon conviction. More than three-quarters of those arrested live outside of the City of Camden, and more than half live outside of Camden County.

"These arrests once again demonstrate clearly what we have seen previously - that the illegal narcotics trade in Camden is fueled by suburban demand," Sarubbi stated. "This is a regional problem, not just a Camden problem."

Sarubbi added that, as a follow-up to reversal operations, his staff routinely sends letters to local police chiefs informing them when a resident of their community is arrested trying to buy drugs in Camden.

All persons charged with criminal offenses are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.