Ten Hudson County men were arrested last week in connection with cocaine distribution activities, said Hudson County Prosecutor Edward DeFazio.
These arrests, which took place on Aug. 3, were the result of a four-month long investigation which began with the Union City Narcotics Task Force. The investigation was performed by a task force consisting of men from the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office’s Narcotics Task Force, The Newark Office of the Drug Enforcement Agency, and the Union City Police Department’s Narcotics Task Force. Also assisting in the investigation were the Carteret Police Department and the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office.
The arrests were made after police found one kilogram of cocaine in a truck in Carteret, coming to New Jersey from California.
All 10 of the men arrested have been charged with conspiracy to distribute cocaine.
Savedo Argueta, 42, of Union City, Leonel Lopez, 37, of North Bergen, Jorge Nelson Sierra-Montano, 40, also of North Bergen, and Jairo Cubides, 48, of North Bergen were also charged with being the leader of a narcotics trafficking network.
Carlos Gomez, 23, of Jersey City has been charged with distribution of cocaine to an undercover officer and distribution of cocaine within 1,000 feet of a school. Juan Carlos Hernandez Coto, 23, of West New York, was charged with possession of cocaine with the intent to distribute and possession of cocaine with intent to distribute within 1,000 feet of a school.
Carlos Gonzalez, 38, of North Bergen, Cristino Quesada, 30, of Union City, Luis Aviles, 29, of Jersey City and Abel Novas of New Brunswick were only charged with conspiracy to distribute.
According to De Fazio, those charged with being leaders of a narcotics trafficking network can be sentenced to serve as much as 25 years to life in prison. De Fazio also said because of the amount of cocaine involved in the bust, all of the lesser charges of conspiracy and intent to distribute are being considered first-degree crimes.
As of press time, all 10 men were being held in Hudson County Jail in Kearny on bails ranging from $100,000 to $500,000.
The investigation
Initial information leading investigators to the leaders of the alleged narcotics trafficking network began inside the Union City Narcotics Task Force.
According to Union City Police Captain Brian Barrett, one of the Union City undercover officers became trusted by the drug dealers as one of their own.
"He became trusted as another drug dealer, but was one of our undercover police officers," said Union City Police Captain Brian Barrett.
Although Barrett said that usually the department would not be involved in an investigation this size, Barrett said that with this key officer, the department had no choice but to be involved. Barrett added that these larger investigations often go beyond the Union City borders and take up more manpower than the department has.
"Our number one priority is the quality of life," said Barrett, explaining that the narcotics task force focuses on street drug sales. "But we knew that this case was going to directly affect the street in Union City."
Barrett said that during the investigation, the narcotics task force was still patrolling the streets for its smaller arrests.
De Fazio said that the information gathered during several cocaine purchases by undercover police officers allowed the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office to obtain court authorized electronic surveillance orders for telephone wire tapping.
Further information received from the conversations overheard through the wire taps told the task force that a truck carrying a kilogram of cocaine and several men was arriving in Carteret from California on Saturday, Aug. 3.
"This was an ongoing drug distribution scheme," said Prosecutor Edward De Fazio.
According to De Fazio, one of the men involved in this case, Aviles, was charged in January with promoting prostitution and soliciting prostitution at Heaven on Earth Massage on Broadway in Jersey City. De Fazio said that these charges are still pending in Jersey City Municipal Court.
Search warrants were issued for that location, as well as nine others in North Bergen, Jersey City, and Union City, last week.