Glorive Negron and Oscar Cortez are being held on $100,000 and $75,000 bonds
Glorive Negron, 40, was ordered held on $100,000 bond and Oscar Cortez, 25, was ordered held on $75,000 bond on various counts of drug possession and distribution, Essex County Sheriff Armando Fontoura said in a statement.
The two landed in custody on Friday afternoon, when members of Fontoura's Bureau of Narcotics set up an undercover surveillance operation at the corner of Park Avenue and North 5th Street in the city's North Ward, after numerous neighbors complained about open-air drug dealing.
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At about 1:30 p.m., detectives noticed Negron loitering on the corner. Before long, Cortez showed up to hand off a white shopping bag. Police moved in, and Cortez took off on foot, tearing through a number of backyards before disappearing inside a home, according to Fontoura.
"Our officers chased after him and apprehended him inside the home without further incident," he said.
Negron was detained at the scene, and police allegedly found 500 glassine envelopes of heroin inside the shopping bag, each stamped 'TOP CHEF' in red ink. Further investigation found that Negron also had five open warrants out of Atlantic County.
Both suspects were held at the Essex County Jail in Newark over the weekend, and remain there as of this afternoon.
Dan Ivers may be reached at divers@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @DanIversNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
