Four men, who are believed to be heroin dealers with ties to the Mexican cartel were arrested at a New Jersey hotel.
A joint investigation into suspected members of the Mexican drug cartel who operate in New York and New Jersey pointed the police to the suspects that were caught. The four individuals booked a room at the Extended Stay America in Secaucus. A warrant for the place was issued on Monday, which allowed authorities to scour the room. The suspected dealers, all from different states, were arrested afterwards.
According to reports, police found 31 kilos of heroin stacked in red duffel bags and a sum of $14,000 in cash. AOL reports that the equivalent, or street value, of the confiscated heroin from the four suspects is valued at $2.4 million.
Authorities arrested and charged 38-year old Oscar Rene Felix from Menifee, California and 35-year-old John Ulloa from the Bronx with conspiracy to distribute heroin. 54-year-old Anthony Ross Coon from Pueblo, Colorado and 71-year-old Alan Martin Alderman of Las Vegas, Nevada are both awaiting trial to face two charges: heroin possession and possession with intent to distribute. The suspects were all taken to Hudson County Jail.
The scenario seemed like it was taken from a crime movie: joint police forces investigating four men from different states in different age groups conspiring to sell and disseminate hard drugs to the city. The belief that the men are somehow connected to the Mexican cartel makes the arrest more intriguing.
The operation was a shared effort by the New Jersey State Police Trafficking North Unit, the New York City Police Department, New York State Police, and the New York Drug Enforcement Task Force.
This is not the first time in the recent years that a massive drug bust related to cartels took place in New York. In May 2015, a similar heroin bust took place, with the suspects believed to be tied with the Sinaloa cartel. 154 pounds of heroin, $24,000 in cash was found hidden inside a Chevrolet Suburban. Upon further investigation, $2 million in cash was found stacked in an apartment in the Bronx, as well as a .380 caliber gun, Vice reports.
