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Authorities seized 100 pounds of raw marijuana at several locations in New York and New Jersey, arresting a music promoter, his Englewood girlfriend, and a Carteret bartender accused of conspiring to ship the drugs from northern California to the local area, the acting Bergen County Prosecutor said in a statement.
The investigation began in January 2018 when cops got a tip regarding suspicious packages and later revealed Oscar Holguin, 38, was the ringleader of a nationwide drug-trafficking network, Acting Prosecutor Dennis Calo said in a May 4 statement. Holguin’s girlfriend, Paola Amador, 29, from Englewood, is a co-conspirator along with Natalie Stojanov, a 27-year-old bartender, Calo said.
“Traveling under the guise of a music promoter, Holguin made weekly trips to an area north of San Francisco, California, known for the production of marijuana in outdoor grow facilities,” Calo said in a statement. “Holguin [purchased] large quantities of the marijuana at wholesale prices, planning to re-distribute it in New York and New Jersey. Breaking the bulk marijuana down into smaller, tightly sealed packages, Holguin secreted his illegal product in large ‘subwoofer’-style speakers typically used by professional musicians, which he then shipped to various locations throughout New York and New Jersey.”
Calo said it’s estimated that Holguin used this scheme to ship thousands of pounds of marijuana over three to four years, Calo said.
They seized about 100 pounds of marijuana, froze Holguin’s bank accounts and a Range Rover and Dodge Durango, believed to be proceeds of his criminal activities, Calo said.
Holguin and Amador were arrested on April 20 in Englewood. Both are charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute marijuana in a quantity greater than 25 pounds (second degree); possession of marijuana in a quantity greater than one ounce but less than five pounds (third degree); possession of THC edibles in a quantity greater than one pound but less than five pounds ( second degree); and child endangerment (second degree).
Holguin also faces charges in New York in relation to marijuana and THC edibles in Yonkers.
Stojanov was arrested April 20 in Carteret and charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute marijuana in a quantity greater than 25 pounds (second degree).
Calo said the charges are accusations and that the defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court. He thanked Englewood’s and Tenafly’s police departments, as well as the Paramus and Yonkers police, the United States Postal Service and the Special Narcotics Prosecutor for the City of New York for assisting the investigation. More arrests are pending, Calo said.
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