MAYS LANDING—On September 8, an Atlantic County Grand Jury indicted Jason Cintron, 38, of Hammonton, and Jovani Rodriguez, 39, of Galloway Twp. as a result of a narcotics investigation in June 2022, a release from the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office (ACPO) said.

According to the release, Jason Cintron was indicted on the following charges:

• Possession with the Intent to Distribute Five Ounces or More of Methamphetamine (First-degree)

• Possession with the Intent to Distribute more than One-Half Ounce of Methamphetamine

(Second-degree)

• Possession with Intent to Distribute more than One-Half Ounce of Heroin/Fentanyl

(Second Degree)

• Possession of Crystal Methamphetamine (Third-degree)

• Possession of Heroin/ Fentanyl (Third-degree)

• Money Laundering (Third-degree)

• Possession of Hollow Point Bullets (Fourth-degree)

Jason Cintron, was the target of a lengthy narcotics investigation initiated by the Liberty Mid-Atlantic HIDTA Task Force. On June 16, search warrants were approved for Cintron’s residence at 52 Jamestown Blvd., Hammonton, his storage unit at Perfect Self Storage Unit located in Egg Harbor City, and the vehicle operated by the defendant, a Ford F-150, the release said.

Prior to executing the search warrants, detectives were conducting surveillance on the defendant in Egg Harbor City, the release said. At approximately 12 p.m., detectives observed Cintron park his vehicle, a 2014 Ford F-150 on Philadelphia Avenue. An individual, later identified as Jovani Rodriguez, walked up to the passenger side of Cintron’s vehicle and opened the front passenger door and conversed with Cintron, the release said. Believing they were observing a possible narcotics transaction, the HIDTA Task Force and ACPO Gangs, Guns, and Narcotics detectives approached Cintron and Rodriguez and verbally identified themselves as police officers, according to the release. Before detectives could arrest Rodriguez, he fled which eventually resulted in Rodriguez getting into a struggle with a detective, the release said. That detective subsequently sustained injuries as a result of the struggle, according to the release. Recovered from the person of Rodriguez in Egg Harbor City was crack cocaine, crystal methamphetamine, and heroin/fentanyl, the press release said.

A search of Cintron’s vehicle revealed approximately more than one-half ounce of heroin/fentanyl, more thanone-half ounce of crystal methamphetamine, and $459 in U.S. currency, the release said. The packaging of the heroin recovered in Cintron’s vehicle was consistent with the heroin that was recovered on Rodriguez, according to the press release.

A search warrant was then executed at Cintron’s residence, 52 Jamestown Blvd., Hammonton, the release said. A bag containing approximately one pound of crystal methamphetamine was recovered as well as a handgun magazine loaded with hollow point bullets, the press release said.

A search warrant at Perfect Self Storage in Egg Harbor City was then executed and detectives recovered a 2020 Can Am Spyder F3L registered to Jason Cintron, the prosecutor’s press release said. Detectives seized this vehicle believing that it was purchased with proceeds from narcotics transactions, according to the release.

This investigation was led by the Liberty Mid-Atlantic HIDTA Task Force with the assistance of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office Gangs, Guns, & Narcotics Unit, and Hammonton Police Department, the release said.

Assistant Prosecutor Deirdre Laws represents the State in the matter, the press release said.

Anyone with information on this matter is asked to call the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office at (609) 909-7800 or anonymously at the Prosecutor’s Office website at www.acpo.org/forms/tips-crime-reporting.

These charges are merely an accusation and not proof of guilt. In all criminal cases, a charged defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty, the release said.