Undercover operation nabs supposed criminal
By: Joseph Harvie
A 27-year-old man is facing weapons and drug charges after he allegedly sold cocaine to undercover police officers, Friday.
Rasan Baker, of Avenue F, was charged with selling cocaine to undercover officers, unlawful possession of a weapon, possession of a weapon by a convicted felon and unlawful possession of steroids, following a six-month investigation by South Brunswick Police Detective John Avalone.
Mr. Baker was charged at 3 p.m. after police approached him in the Burger King parking lot on Route 1 and Major Road, where they believed he was going to sell cocaine, Detective James Ryan, South Brunswick police spokesman, said.
Detective Ryan said Detective Avalone was working with the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Narcotics Task Force, and Mr. Baker had sold cocaine to undercover officers during the course of the investigation, but not at the Burger King.
Mr. Baker had his 4-year-old child in the car at the time, Detective Ryan said. Police said the child has been turned over to his mother.
A search of Mr. Baker’s home found a 9 mm Beretta handgun, a 40 mm Glock handgun, and illegal steroids, Detective Ryan said.
According to a state Department of Corrections search, Mr. Baker had previously been incarcerated in state prison from Dec. 3, 2001, to April 3, 2002, on one count of possession, use, or being under the influence of a controlled dangerous substance and a separate count of possession of a controlled dangerous substance. He was also in jail from June 19, 2003, until April 25, 2004, for possession of a controlled dangerous substance.
He was taken to the Middlesex County Adult Correction Center in North Brunswick inlieu of $110,000 bail, Detective Ryan said.
Detective Ryan said that one of Chief Raymond Hayducka’s goals when assigning Detective Avalone to the Task Force was to help get dangerous criminals off the streets.
"Since the chief assigned Officer Avalone to the Task Force, he’s been able target people, not at a street level, or people stopped for having marijuana," Detective Ryan said. "He’s able to target repeated drug offenders who are an extremely high risk to the community."