July 16, 2021
Thom Carroll/For PhillyVoice
New Jersey law enforcement officials seized narcotics and weapons upon executing a search warrant at a residence in Egg Harbor Township. Ricardo Clavijo and Christopher Gonzalez have been charged with drug offenses.
Two Atlantic County men are facing criminal charges after law enforcement officials seized more than 15 kilograms of drugs from a basement in Egg Harbor Township.
The bust is the largest in the South Jersey county's history, officials said.
Ricardo Clavijo, 39, of Egg Harbor Township, and Christopher Gonzalez, 37, of Pleasantville, were charged with conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute more than a kilogram of heroin by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Jersey. Both men are being held without bail.
State and local law enforcement officials executed a search warrant Monday at Clavijo's residence, where they arrested both men. They seized the following items from the basement:
•Five kilogram-sized packages of suspected fentanyl
•Eight kilogram-sized packages of suspected fentanyl or cocaine
•Two kilogram-sized packages of suspected heroin
•Thousands of pre-packaged individual doses of suspected heroin
•One .45 caliber handgun, a loaded magazine for the handgun and a 9mm 50-round drum magazine
•Narcotics packing material, paraphernalia and an electronic money counter
"The large quantities of heroin, fentanyl and cocaine seized have prevented an untold amount of potential fatal overdoses in the Atlantic County region," DEA Special Agent in Charge Susan A. Gibson said. "A drug seizure of this size has made the area safer, and we will continue to dismantle and disrupt these criminal organizations."
If convicted, both men could face maximum sentences of life in prison and a $10 million fine or twice the gross gain or loss caused by the offense, whichever number is greatest. The conspiracy charge carries a mandatory minimum term of 10 years behind bars.
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