July 14, 2017

Contact: Sheriff Armando Fontoura (973) 621-4105

Newark – An alleged mid-echelon drug dealer was arrested Thursday night and ¼ of a kilo of cocaine was seized by Essex County sheriff’s detectives.

Sheriff Armando Fontoura stated that officers from his department’s Bureau of Narcotics, armed with a search warrant, conducted a plainclothes surveillance operation at 375 North 11^th Street last night as part of on-going investigations into drug trafficking in the city’s North Ward.

“Upon establishing their positions, our officers observed the target of our investigation, 22-year-old German Pereyra, exit his residence with a brown paper bag,” Sheriff Fontoura said.  “Pereyra was followed by our BON detectives when he entered a 2008 Honda Odyssey and drove away from the scene.”

Fontoura added that the officers conducted a motor vehicle stop of the Odyssey as Pereyra approached Clara Maass Medical Center in Belleville.

“In announcing our presence, our officers observed as the suspect tossed the paper bag into the back seat of the station wagon,” the sheriff noted.  “When the bag hit the back seat 208 grams of bulk cocaine, wrapped in clear plastic, and drug packaging paraphernalia spilled out.”

Pereyra was placed under arrest and the search warrant was executed at his residence.

“In the suspect’s hallway, our officers discovered a shoe box that contained an additional 200 cocaine-filled envelops and additional drug paraphernalia, including a grinder, a digital scale and other drug-related items.”

The estimated street value of the narcotics is $15,000

Pereyra was charged with possession of a controlled dangerous substance, possession of CDS with intent to distribute, possession of CDS with intent to distribute within 1000 feet of the Abington Avenue and the Elliott Street school annexes, possession of CDS with intent to distribute within 500 feet of the First Avenue Library and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Pereyra was also issued a summons for transporting narcotics in a motor vehicle and he was found to the subject of an open warrant issued by the Kearney municipal court.

Pereyra was lodged at the county jail where he awaits a bail hearing on Thursday’s charges.