Nearly 8 pounds of suspected fentanyl seized in massive Camden drug bust

Two South Jersey men accused of running a pill mill operation in Camden were arrested Friday after police seized nearly eight pounds of suspected fentanyl and other illegal items during a recent drug raid.

Jason Williams, 45, and Davon Jones, 28, both of Camden, were charged with maintaining a drug manufacturing facility and related weapons offenses, prosecutors said. Maintaining a drug manufacturing facility carries a maximum sentence of up to 20 years in state prison. 

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The alleged pill mill operation occurred at locations on the 1100 block of South Merrimac Road and the 2900 block of North 36th Street, investigators said. A pill mill is an illegal facility where narcotics are prescribed and distributed without medical approval.

In addition to the suspected fentanyl, police confiscated more than half an ounce of suspected crack and powder cocaine during a raid. They also found two hydraulic pill presses, over five pounds of cutting agents and more than 8,300 pills worth as much as $249,000. 

Investigators said they seized more than $20,000 in cash, two handguns with extended magazines and one long gun with a silencer. Both handguns were identified as ghost guns, which are made-to-assemble firearms that don't have serial numbers and can't be traced.

Four other handguns, a compact AK-47 and additional pill-making materials were seized from a Pennsauken storage facility during a separate raid, investigators said.

The arrests came following a six-month investigation led by the Camden County Prosecutor's Office, the New Jersey State Police, Cherry Hill police and Pennsauken police.

"Any time we're able to get fentanyl off the streets, it's a major victory, not just for our office, but for our community," acting Camden County Prosecutor Jill S. Mayer said. "Thank you to our detectives and our partners in this case whose tireless efforts over the past six months resulted in yet another large quantity of potentially deadly drugs being removed from the streets and two more ghost guns seized."