Heroin Problem in Monmouth County is Second Only to Essex County

Posted on November 25, 2009 by John Marshall

I think a poll of NJ residents would have little chance of identifying Monmouth County or Ocean County as top counties in terms of heroin possession and usage. The reality is, however, that Monmouth County ranked second behind Essex County in terms of heroin addiction. Ocean County was number five in terms of heroin addicts.

As a criminal defense attorney in New Jersey, I witness the aftermath of heroin possession, distribution and usage every day. Usage includes young and old, rich and poor, and does not delineate between man or women. The prevalence of heroin usage is staggering in my view and manifests just how robust the supply of dope is in NJ. Its cheap, readily accessible, and almost instantly addictive. To make matters worse, the primary means of controlling addiction is methadone - another drug that is highly addictive and ripe with dependency issues. I do not have the answer for the problem but simply know that it is growing every day. We help those that we can and keep our fingers crossed that our efforts provide some longterm benefit to the heroin user and their families.

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East Orange NJ Heroin Arrests Are Up

Posted on November 2, 2009 by John Marshall

With all the recent press regarding the abundance of heroin in New Jersey and the fact that the Airport and Port are the major points of entry, it should come as no surprise that East Orange is a relative hot bed for street sales. In response to this activity, the East Orange Police Department and Essex County Narcotics Task Force has turned up the heat. In the past two weeks alone, our attorneys have been consulted and/or retained in multiple cases involving intent to distribute heroin or simple possession of heroin in East Orange.

Most recently, I was retained earlier today to represent a 22 year old man from a middle class community. He routinely visited East Orange to buy heroin on the street. He was arrested based on apparent surveillance of a high crime area by police. Similar factual scenarios have been related by others charged with heroin possession in East Orange. There is little doubt, given what has been related by our clients, that law enforcement in East Orange has intensified its efforts to make heroin arrests. In point of fact, our client in this case related that there were as many as sixteen (16) young men and women in the holding cell as a result of attempting or conspiring to purchase heroin in East Orange.

The typical charge in these cases is Third Degree Heroin Possession. There are also those matters where distribution or trafficking is alleged but I have found these allegations to be a stretch by the street crimes unit. For the most part, we are talking about run of the mill possession cases involving young people addicted to heroin. Thankfully, we are able to resolve most of these cases with little long-term impact on the suspect's life from the perspective of court supervision and criminal record. Their battle to shake the addiction is a whole other question which can often linger.
 

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