Police bust Hopatcong heroin operation
HOPATCONG—A regional police investigation has netted the arrest of seven alleged heroin traffickers after a bust at a Hopatcong restaurant.
Police say John A. Davieau, 55, of Lake Hopatcong, imported more than 1,900 individual folds of heroin into Morris County for distribution during the investigation. Davieau was arrested on August 6, 2013 and charged with a total of 90 counts of 13 separate crimes, including charges of conspiracy possession and distribution of heroin within 500 ft. of public housing and within 500 ft. of a public park.
Davieau is the owner of Royal Communications of Wharton, N.J., a business that provided the communication needs to a host of law enforcement agencies throughout the State of New Jersey. Davieau is also the proprietor of the River Styx Grill located on Lake Hopatcong, N.J. Police executed search warrants on the evening of August 6, 2013 at both locations from which Davieau is charged with distributing heroin during this investigation.
Authorities also identified Frank L. Griffin, 51, of Newark as the source of the heroin. He was also arrested in Newark, N.J. on Tuesday. Griffin was lodged in the Morris County Correctional Facility on $120,000.00 no 10% bail.
In addition authorities arrested Amanda Skinner, 25, of Hopatcong; Rachael Dean, 29; of Hopatcong, Jimmy Mauer, 25, of Andover; Maria McHugh, 28, of Ledgewood; Joseph Pokrzywa, 28, of Hopatcong;for their involvement in this illicit heroin distribution operation, according to a police statement.
The investigation was spearheaded by the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office, Special Enforcement Unit under the leadership of Captain Daniel DeGroot and Supervising Assistant Prosecutor Bradford Seabury, with the assistance of several other law enforcement agencies. In addition to the arrests, the investigation culminated in the execution of several search warrants, the seizure of 5,000 doses of heroin, 6 vehicles used by the defendants during the illegal activity and $23,000 in proceeds from drug sales.
“Tragically, Morris County has seen a significant increase of heroin related deaths. This investigation is a clear example of how the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office, in conjunction with our law enforcement partners, will aggressively pursue individuals who are bringing this poison into our communities. Our cooperative effort exemplifies the partnership between county and local authorities to prosecute offenders who are contributing to this heroin overdose epidemic,” Acting Morris County Prosecutor Fredric M. Knapp said.