made locally,
police say
Police arrest dozens
in alleged drug ring
Many drug sales
made locally,
police say
BY JOLENE HART
Staff Writer
Authorities have arrested dozens of area residents linked to an alleged drug network that spanned New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Virginia.
The arrests followed a yearlong investigation by the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office and the Sayreville Police Department’s Narcotics Unit.
Narcotics officers traced the drug distribution network to Ronald Odom, also known as "Gotti," a 24-year-old Newark man who police described as a retail distributor of cocaine, crack and marijuana.
Authorities began raids on Feb. 21, first at Odom’s residence, where they reportedly seized three-quarters of a pound of cocaine and crack, valued at $20,000, an AK-47 assault rifle, a sawed-off shotgun, a machine gun and two handguns, along with boxes of ammunition, high-capacity magazines for assault weapons, and materials for the processing of crack cocaine.
Police also executed search warrants at residences on Cricket Lane, Woodbridge, and Gifford Street and Chamberlin Avenue, Perth Amboy. Smaller quantities of cocaine, money and drug paraphernalia were confiscated at these locations.
Odom was apprehended on the evening of Feb. 21, leaving a residence on Rustic Drive, Ocean Township, that police determined was a "safe house" to secure Odom’s drug money, authorities said. Police found $84,080 inside the residence, in addition to $16,300 found on Odom.
Arrested with Odom was Forlang Lamont Spencer, 33, of Virginia, who investigators described as Odom’s closest confidant and co-conspirator. Authorities believe that Spencer helped Odom expand his drug distribution enterprise and functioned as his second in command.
Odom was charged as the leader of the narcotics trafficking network, an offense that carries a sentence of 25 years to life in prison. He was being held at the Middlesex County Adult Correction Center, North Brunswick, on $1 million bail. Spencer was being held there on $500,000 bail.
"It was determined through the investigation, which included surveillance and undercover operatives, that Odom was continuing to establish and expand distribution networks throughout this four-state area," according to an announcement issued by the office of Middlesex County Prosecutor Bruce J. Kaplan.
According to the prosecutor’s office, Odom would obtain wholesale amounts of cocaine and marijuana that he redistributed to his employees for resale. Odom would process the powdered cocaine into smokable form, known as crack, according to the prosecutor’s office. His employees reportedly sold more than 100 grams of cocaine daily.
Other arrests made from Feb. 22-24 yielded charges of drug distribution against 19 residents of Perth Amboy, South Amboy, Woodbridge, Carteret, Fords, Neptune and Newark.
Charges of drug possession were lodged against 47 residents of Sayreville, Woodbridge, Perth Amboy, South Amboy, Port Reading, Keasbey and Newark. In Sayreville, those arrested included residents of Main Street, Harbour Club and Skytop Gardens.
Sayreville Police Detective Mathew Bandurski said his department was heavily involved in the investigation because the majority of drug sales connected to the operation took place in Sayreville.
"The operation went very smoothly," said Bandurski, who said his department was processing the fingerprinting and arrest reports because of Sayreville’s advanced scanning system.
"There were about 20 of us [Sayreville police officers] involved in the preparation and the raids, between the detective and uniform divisions," Bandurski said.
The investigation is ongoing and further arrests are expected, according to police.
heavily involved in the investigation because the majority of drug sales connected to the operation took place in Sayreville.
"The operation went very smoothly," said Bandurski, who said his department was processing the fingerprinting and arrest reports because of Sayreville’s advanced scanning system.
"There were about 20 of us [Sayreville police officers] involved in the preparation and the raids, between the detective and uniform divisions," Bandurski said.
The investigation is ongoing and further arrests are expected, according to police.