TOMS RIVER – Toms River Police arrested 15 people last Thursday night, October 5, as part of a 5 a.m. drug raid at the Red Carpet Inn on West Water Street.
The motel was targeted by undercover police officers after a month-long investigation into open air drug sales and complaints from residents who live in the area.
The three court authorized search warrants and resulting arrests, which were made in conjunction with Toms River Police Department Emergency Services Unit, NJ State Police Troop D Parkway Region Criminal Investigation Unit, NJ State Police TEAMS Unit and United States Drug Enforcement Agency, included 11 men and four women, who are all either being held on bail in the Ocean County Jail or have since been released pending court dates.
Specific names and charges of the defendants have not been released, as it is an ongoing investigation and to protect the safety of the undercover officers involved in the operation. Their charges include drug distribution, drug possession and outstanding warrants.
The Toms River Police Department recently formed a Quality of Life Task Force that combines members of the Criminal Investigative Bureau, Special Enforcement Team, Division of Fire Prevention and the Code Enforcement/Zoning Department. Its goal is to target locations within the township that are suspected as being “habitual places of concern for criminal activity, public safety, municipal code violations and quality of life issues.”
The Quality of Life Task Force anticipates that additional locations will be identified in the coming months.
