Police seize drugs in Washington

; A Harriet Court man is facing drug charges after police said they found $100,000 worth of cocaine and more than 2 pounds of marijuana at his residence Saturday

By Cara Latham, Staff Writer
   WASHINGTON — A Harriet Court man is facing drug charges after police said they found $100,000 worth of cocaine and more than 2 pounds of marijuana at his residence Saturday.
   Vincent Croddick, 24, was charged at 3 p.m. Saturday with two first-degree counts of possession of a controlled dangerous substance and two first-degree counts of possession of a controlled dangerous substance with the intent to distribute — one charge each for cocaine and marijuana — after police executed a search warrant at his home.
   The Ontario Police Department in California contacted Washington Township police the day before with information that narcotics were being shipped to his residence in Robbinsville, according to Casey DeBlasio, spokeswoman for the Mercer County prosecutor’s office,
   Ms. DeBlasio said police seized a package delivered by the United Postal Service. The package contained a computer tower with a kilogram, or about 2.2 pounds, of powdered cocaine inside, she added. The powdered cocaine had a street value of about $100,000, according to Lt. Bill Straniero of the Special Investigations Unit of the prosecutor’s office,
   While police were executing the search warrant, Washington Township Narcotics Canines — Zilkie and Valco — were brought in and indicated that drugs were present inside a Honda Prelude parked in his garage, she added. Inside of the trunk of the car was 2.5 pounds of marijuana, Ms. DeBlasio said.
   The marijuana carries a street value of approximately $6,000, according to Lt. Straniero.
   In addition to the Washington Township Police Department, other law enforcement agencies involved were the Special Investigations Unit of the Mercer County prosecutor’s office, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the state Division of Criminal Justice and the Mercer County sheriff’s office.
   Mr. Croddick was charged and was being held at the Mercer County Corrections Center in Hopewell on $290,000 bail with no 10 percent option on Tuesday. Ms. DeBlasio said a bail review hearing was scheduled for today, Thursday.
   Mr. Croddick’s girlfriend, Christina Diaz, 24, who lived with him on Harriet Court, was also charged with possession of marijuana and released on her own recognizance.
   ”Illegal drugs continue to invade our neighborhoods and law enforcement must stay on the alert,” Mercer County Prosecutor Joseph L. Bocchini Jr. said in a statement on Tuesday. “Drug crimes are not confined to urban areas, and no one realizes this more than (Washington Police) Chief (Martin) Masseroni. He is committed to his community, and the war on drugs underscores the effectiveness of law enforcement agencies working together.”