Newark – A 22-year-old city man is scheduled for arraignment later this afternoon on multiple weapons and narcotics offenses following his arrest yesterday by Essex County sheriff’s detectives.

Sheriff Armando Fontoura stated that officers from his department’s Bureau of Narcotics responded to numerous neighborhood complaints of open-air drug trafficking in the area of Central Avenue and 4^th Street by staging a plainclothes surveillance operation at that location on Tuesday afternoon.

“At that time, a suspect, Hakeem Telfair on Newark, who is known to our BON detectives through previous investigations, was observed loitering in the area,” Sheriff Fontoura said.

The sheriff added that Telfair was soon approached by a female passerby.  Following a brief conversation, Telfair walked over to his 2002 Acura which was parked in the lot of a nearby laundromat and removed items from a black plastic bag that was on top of the vehicle’s center console.

As the female passerby exchanged cash for the items and exited the scene, the sheriff’s BON detectives moved in to further investigate.

“During questioning, Telfair voluntarily surrendered eight glassine envelops filled with heroin and stamped ‘GORILLA’ in green ink,” Sheriff Fontoura noted.  “The suspect also consented to a search of his vehicle which yielded an additional 90 similarly marked heroin packets and a 9mm Baretta semi-automatic handgun, fully loaded with illegal hollow point bullets.

Telfair 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 Sussex Avenue School, possession of CDS with intent to distribute within 500 feet of Liberty Park, the unlawful possession of a handgun and possession of a handgun while committing a narcotics crime.

A canvass of the area for the female passerby proved negative.

Telfair was lodged overnight at the Essex County jail in lieu of a $100,000 cash bond.