Prosecutors say the arrests resulted from surveillance of a Palisades Park home agents believe to be linked to a drug ring
NEWARK -- Two men made their first appearance in federal court Monday on charges stemming from a Drug Enforcement Administration operation in Bergen County that seized more than 5 pounds of cocaine and heroin.
Prosecutors say Hasan J. Johnson and Jose D. Martinez were arrested after a Drug Enforcement Administration operation Monday night in Bergen County. (File photo)Hasan J. Johnson, 37, and Jose D. Martinez, 50, each face charges of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute more than a pound of cocaine, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Prosecutors say Martinez, of Palisades Park, is also charged with possession of heroin and cocaine with intent to distribute.
Investigators arrested the two men Monday after conducting surveillance of a Palisades Park home they believed to be linked to a drug trafficking and money laundering organization, according to a criminal complaint.
After seeing Johnson leave the home with a bag and drive off, the complaint states, agents stopped the car and immediately noticed the smell of drugs.
After Johnson gave investigators permission to search the car, they found more than 2 pounds of cocaine in a bag inside the vehicle, according to the complaint.
Investigators served a search warrant on the Palisades Park home later that night, and found Martinez inside, along with a bottle of bleach and apparent drug packaging materials in a bathroom, the complaint states.
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Martinez allegedly admitted to having flushed drugs down the toilet when he noticed police at his door, according to the complaint, but investigators were still able to find more than a pound of heroin inside the home along with more than two pounds of cocaine.
Both the conspiracy and possession charges carry a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison and a maximum sentence of 40 years, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Thomas Moriarty may be reached at tmoriarty@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @ThomasDMoriarty. Find NJ.com on Facebook.