Tip Leads To Arrest Of Township Residents On Drug Charges

A tip to Somerset County authorities led to the June 30 arrest of three township residents and the seizure from them of more than $1,000 in drugs.

Jessica Simmonds, 22; Chris Gardner, 24 and Shane Gardner, 23, were arrested as a result of a tip to the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Organized Crime and Narcotics Task Force, according to a press release on the arrest.

The task force was told that two men and a woman would arrive at an unnamed Route 27 pharmacy in a white four-door Mazda, and that they would be in possession of heroin, according to the release.

At about 6:30 p.m., the Mazda was seen by task force members parking in the pharmacy’s lot. Task force members approached the car, identified themselves and told the occupants about the investigation, according to the release.

Shane Gardner voluntarily told detectives that he had two bags of MDMA – Ecstasy  – and was placed under arrest after the drugs were found.

The Somerset County Sheriff’s Department K-9 “Apex” and his handler conducted an outside search of the car, police said, which yielded a positive response. After securing a search warrant, detectives found 50 decks of heroin, 5 grams of marijuana, a scale, a cutting agent and baggies inside the passenger compartment, according to the release. In the trunk area, detectives found 15 decks of heroin, according to the release, after which Chris Gardner and Simmonds arrested.

Shane Gardner was charged with 3rd Degree Possession of CDS (heroin) with Intent to Distribute, 3rd Degree Possession of CDS (MDMA), Possession of under 50 grams of Marijuana, and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, which are Disorderly Persons offenses, according to the release.

Chris Gardner and Simmonds were both charged with 3rd Degree Possession of CDS (heroin) with Intent to Distribute, and the Disorderly Persons offenses of Possession of under 50 grams of Marijuana and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.

The heroin seized has an estimated street value of $1,000 and the MDMA has an estimated street value of $100, according to the release.

All three defendants are in custody in the Somerset County Jail, Somerville.

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