Man Charged After $22K In Heroin, 3 Guns Seized In Mercer Co.

Princeton NJ

13 October, 2021

1:26 PM

Description

MERCER COUNTY, NJ – The Mercer County Narcotics Task Force seized $22,500 in heroin and three guns this week after a two-month investigation, Mercer County Prosecutor Angelo J. Onofri said Wednesday. A County resident was also arrested in connection with the bust which had various law enforcement agencies involved, Onofri said. Around 1 p.m. on Tuesday members of the Mercer County Prosecutor's Office, the Mercer County Sheriff's Office, Ewing Police Department, Hamilton Police and U.S. Homeland Security Investigations, under the command of the prosecutor's Special Investigations Unit, searched multiple locations in Ewing and Hamilton. Justin Hill, 33, was charged with first- and second-degree narcotics and weapons offenses and lodged at the Mercer County Correction Center pending a detention hearing. Hill was taken into custody during a motor vehicle stop in Ewing Township, Onofri said. He was found with a 9mm semi-automatic handgun concealed in his waistband and two bricks of heroin were found on the center console of the Jeep Cherokee he was driving, the prosecutor said. During a search of 43 N. Johnston Avenue in Hamilton, 150 bricks of heroin were found in a second-floor bedroom and an automatic firearm with a suppressor and 30-round magazine on the floor in the living room, Onofri said. According to the prosecutor, during a search at Hill's residence on Conway Avenue in Ewing, detectives found an AR-15 style rifle without a serial number, a 60-round magazine drum, a 30-round pistol magazine, and numerous rounds of rifle ammunition. Cash totaling $1,048 was also seized during the investigation, authorities said. Onofri said that the seized heroin has an approximate street value of $22,500. Thank you for reading. Have a correction or news tip? Email [email protected] Get breaking news alerts on your phone with our app. Download here. Sign up to get Patch emails so you don't miss out on local and statewide news.