SEPTEMBER 11, 2007

$106,000 in Drugs Seized in Robbinsville 

WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP – Mercer County Prosecutor Joseph L. Bocchini Jr. announced that more than $100,000 in illegal drugs was seized from a Robbinsville, NJ townhouse on Saturday and two people were arrested. 

According to Prosecutor Bocchini, Washington Township police were contacted on Friday by the Ontario Police Department in California regarding a UPS package headed to New Jersey containing a controlled dangerous substance.  Washington Township police requested assistance from the prosecutor’s Special Investigations Unit (SIU) and an operation ensued. 

At approximately 3 p.m. Saturday afternoon, the UPS package was delivered to 12 Harriet Court.  Shortly thereafter, officers from the prosecutor’s SIU, the Washington Township Police Department, the Mercer County Sheriff’s Office, the state Division of Criminal Justice and the Drug Enforcement Administration executed search warrants at the residence. 

Officers recovered a package containing a kilogram of powder cocaine hidden inside of a computer tower.  Washington Township narcotics canines Zilke and Valco were brought in to search the townhouse and led officers to two and a half pounds of marijuana inside the trunk of a Honda Prelude in the garage. 

SIU Lt. Bill Straniero stated that the street value of the seized drugs is approximately $106,000. 

Residents Vincent Croddick and his girlfriend Christina Diaz, both 24, were taken into custody without incident.  Croddick was charged with two counts of possession of a controlled dangerous substance and two counts of possession with the intent to distribute.  He is being held at the Mercer County Correction Center in lieu of $290,000 full cash bail. 

Diaz was 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,” Bocchini said.  “Drug crimes are not confined to urban areas and no one realizes this more than Chief Masseroni.  He is committed to his community and the war on drugs.  The success of investigations like this underscores the effectiveness of law enforcement agencies working together.” 

Despite having been charged, every defendant is presumed innocent until found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.