BY JAY BODAS
Staff Writer
METUCHEN — A borough resident was arrested on drug charges on April 15 with nearly 100 grams of cocaine and drug paraphernalia found in his possession, police said.
Carlos Orozco, 25, was charged with possession of cocaine, possession with intent to distribute, intent to distribute within 1,000 feet of a school zone, intent to distribute within 500 feet of a public park, possession of drug paraphernalia, and selling cocaine to an undercover officer, Officer David Liantonio said.
Police raided his home and found 71 grams of cocaine, a digital scale, packaging materials and $9,850 in cash. An additional 25 grams of cocaine was found in his vehicle, a dark maroon BMW, which was seized, Liantonio said.
“We received information from confidential sources that Orozco was dealing cocaine from his house,” said Detective David Irizarry, a 13-year veteran of the Metuchen Police Department. “We initiated a three-week investigation that involved surveillance at his house, and we saw movement that was consistent with drug trafficking.”
They also made controlled purchases using an undercover officer, Irizarry said.
He and his partner, Detective Michael Kilker, along with two officers from the Middlesex County Narcotics Task Force executed a search warrant on Orozco’s home and vehicle at 7:45 p.m. April 15, Irizarry said. “When he left his home, we pulled him over and executed a search warrant on his car, and then his house. It was a very secure search.”
Orozco is being held at the Middlesex County Adult Correction Center in lieu of $125,000 bail.
The last cocaine-related arrest in Metuchen occurred in January, when authorities arrested a resident in possession of approximately 20 grams of cocaine.