Essex County Sheriff’s Office

NEWS RELEASE

November 30, 2018

Contact: Sheriff Armando Fontoura (973) 621-4105

Newark – An adult female, a juvenile male and an adult male were arrested on narcotics and weapons charges in two pre-dawn raids conducted by a law enforcement task force comprised of Essex County sheriff’s detectives and Newark and Bloomfield police officers.

Sheriff Armando Fontoura stated that the task force was armed with search warrants for two city residences where alleged drug sales were taking place on a routine basis.

“The first raid took place at 244 Nye Avenue at 0500 hours,” Sheriff Fontoura said.  “In a first-floor bedroom, a 17-year-old suspect was taken into custody when he was found to be in possession of a 9mm Smith & Wesson semi-automatic handgun that was fully loaded with illegal hollow point bullets.  In a second-floor bedroom, Patrice Caldwell, 32, was placed under arrest when our officers discovered and confiscated 1,950 heroin-filled envelopes, stamped ‘BLUE MAGIC’ in blue ink.”

The second search warrant was executed at 415 13^th Avenue at 0600 hours.

“In the bedroom of Almusal Carter, 28, and an alleged member of the Crips street gang, our officers seized a shoe bag that contained 53 plastic jugs of ‘crack’ cocaine, 13 Ecstasy tablets, a cache of ammunition, a variety of drug processing materials and $406 in cash,” Fontoura added.

The street value of the drugs seized this morning is in excess of $20,000.

The juvenile male was charged with the unlawful possession of a weapon and the unlawful possession of hollow point bullets.  He is scheduled for a hearing in Family Court later today and may be remanded to the Essex County Juvenile Detention Center.

Caldwell was charged with possession of a controlled dangerous substance, possession of CDS with intent to distribute and possession of CDS with intent to distribute within 1000 feet of Bragaw Avenue School.

Carter was charged with two counts each of possession of CDS, possession of CDS with intent to distribute, possession of CDS with intent to distribute within 1000 feet of JFK School and one count each of possession of hollow point bullets and possession of narcotics paraphernalia.

Carter was also found to be the subject of six open warrants issued by the Superior Court of New Jersey and the Newark municipal court for violation of the terms of his probation, willful non-support, assault and harassment.

Caldwell and Carter are being held at the county jail pending a bail hearing.