YOUR MONEY, A12

Meridian Health plans to merge with

Hackensack University Health Network
MEDICAL MERGER
SPORTS WAGERING WOULD PROVIDE MUCH-NEEDED RELIEF. COLUMN, C1
IS SPORTS BETTING A GO?
Monmouth Park will be allowed to self-regulate under a bill passed Thursday. STORY, A5
WRAP YOUR PAWS
AROUND THIS
COLUMN, A10
Howell farm produces
rare but storied
pawpaw fruit, among
other treasures.
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FRIDAY 10.17.14
VOLUME 135
NUMBER 249
SINCE 1879
BUSINESS A12
CLASSIFIED D1
HOOK, LINE & SINKER E1
LOCAL A3
LOTTERIES A2
OBITUARIES A13
OPINION A16
SPORTS D1
WEATHER C10
USA TODAY 1B
USA TODAY RESERVE TROOPS COULD BE CALLED TO FIGHT EBOLA PAGE 1B
ASBURY PARK A drug ring that spanned Monmouth, Ocean and
Middlesex counties was smashed Thursday morning by federal,
state and local law enforcement officers, yielding 14 arrests, prose-
cutors said.
Using brand names stamped on glassine envelopes such as Hurri-
cane Sandy, Poland Spring Water, Flying High and Final Game, two
drug gangs distributed thousands of bricks of heroin on the streets of
Monmouth and Ocean counties each month. A brick, about a gram,
amounts to 50 small packets of heroin. The ring took in a six-figure
monthly income, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman said.
Twenty-two people have been charged in all. Seven remained at
large Thursday afternoon, while one already was incarcerated on
other charges.
The drug deals mostly occurred in Asbury Park and Neptune,
with most of the transactions taking place on the street and in cars.
All the defendants are from the Shore. Some of the activity of the
ring occurred in Middlesex County, authorities said.
The ring also sold crack cocaine, authorities said.
DRUG RING
TAKEN DOWN
Gangs distributed thousands of bricks of heroin in
Monmouth, Ocean counties each month, cops say
BOB BIELK/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
First Assistant Monmouth County Prosecutor Marc LeMieux, from left, U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman and Carl Kotowski, N.J. DEA
special agent in charge, speak at an Asbury Park news conference on the arrest of 14 people on drug charges.
INSIDE
See a full list of
the suspects charged, A7
KEN SERRANO @KENSERRANOAPP
See DRUGS, Page A7
The drug deals mostly
occurred in Asbury Park and
Neptune, with most of the
transactions taking place on
the street and in cars.
The Monmouth County Prosecutors Office is inves-
tigating the Asbury Park municipal election for the sec-
ond year in a row, the Asbury Park Press has learned.
It is unclear exactly what documents or procedures
the prosecutor is looking at, according to a source with
knowledge of the investigation but who is not autho-
rized to speak publicly.
Charles Webster, a spokesman for the Monmouth
County Prosecutors Office, did not return a call or
email from the Press on Thursday.
During the May 2013 election, the prosecutors of-
fice raided the A-Team election slates Asbury Avenue
office amid complaints that members of the campaign
were fraudulently handling absentee ballot applica-
tions. A rival ticket accused the A-Team candidates and
Asbury
election
scrutinized
NICQUEL TERRY @NTERRYAPP
Source says prosecutors office is
investigating for second year in row
See ELECTION, Page A9
WHY IS N.J. RECOVERY LAGGING?
COMING SUNDAY
OLD SITES SCARE UP NEW THRILLS
JERSEY ALIVE!