COURT HOUSE – A drug bust on Aug. 11 did not yield a large amount of heroin, as originally suspected, but a larger batch of the synthetic opioid Carfentanil, which is far more dangerous than fentanyl, according to the county Prosecutor’s Office.
Prosecutor Jeffrey H. Sutherland had updated an announcement of a major narcotics investigation by his office’s Gangs, Guns and Narcotics Task Force. Sutherland previously announced the arrest of Harold Perez, 34, of Green Creek, and the seizure of 2,100 bags of suspected heroin and $10,000 in cash after a raid by the task force and county SWAT team. The Prosecutor’s Office later amended the suspect’s surname to Perez-Heredia.
The prosecutor said investigators ultimately recovered approximately 3,300 individual bags of narcotics. The evidence was immediately submitted to the prosecutor’s forensics laboratory for analysis.
Laboratory Director Ken Hand and his team confirmed that the substance in the bags was not heroin but Carfentanil – an extremely potent synthetic opioid originally developed as a tranquilizer for elephants and other large animals.
Carfentanil is 100 times more potent than fentanyl and 5,000 times more potent than heroin and presents a critical danger to anyone who comes into contact with it, including law enforcement officers and first responders. Exposure, even in minute quantities, can be fatal.
“This operation underscores the importance of interagency cooperation and highlights the real and present danger these illicit substances pose to our communities,” Sutherland said.
“Thanks to the diligent work of our task force and the rapid response of our independent county forensic laboratory, we were able to identify this deadly substance quickly, take action and mitigate further risk to the public and members of law enforcement who must handle the substance.
“Removing 3,300 bags of Carfentanil from circulation may very well have prevented countless overdoses and deaths in our county.”
According to the affidavit of probable cause, dated Aug. 11, the raid at a Route 47 mobile home park was part of an investigation into narcotics distribution that began in April 2024. The investigation focused on heroin distribution by Perez-Heredia.
A search warrant was issued on Aug. 1 for Perez-Heredia’s mobile home residence, the surrounding area, his vehicle and his person, and it was executed on Aug. 11, which resulted in the seized Carfentanil, two vacuum sealers, a currency counter, cutting agent, two scales, two baggies with unknown pills and two cellphones.
Police also found in another location on the property suspected heroin, 54 grams of cocaine, a scale, spoon, knife, a half-kilogram hydraulic press, a Ruger .22 caliber handgun with an extended magazine and just under $10,000 in cash.
Police identified a security system with a monitor revealing feeds from multiple cameras covering the property.
At the time the search warrant was executed, Perez-Heredia was in his residence along with three young people, ages 17, 16 and 5. It was not disclosed whether the juveniles were charged.
According to the affidavit, Perez-Heredia was in the bathroom at the time of the raid and he tried to leave the trailer, but he stopped when he saw members of the SWAT team in the side yard. Police said they located a brick of suspected heroin in the toilet and several more bricks and sleeves of suspected heroin in the trash and in a red bag next to the toilet.
The prosecutor said Cape May is one of the few counties in New Jersey operating its own independent forensics laboratory, a significant advantage in the fight against narcotics trafficking.
Anyone with information about criminal activity is urged to contact the Prosecutor’s Office at 609-465-1135 or report tips anonymously at cmcpo.tips.
Contact the reporter, Christopher South, at csouth@cmcherald.com or 609-886-8600, ext. 128.
