Enough Drugs To Kill 528K In Big NJ Drug Bust, Police Chase

NEW JERSEY – Federal officials conducted a major heroin bust this week that involved enough drugs to kill 528,000 people, and came after a high-speed chase in which a suspect tried to ram a police car. The drug operation involved three New Jersey counties, authorities said.

William T. Bouza, 45, of Watchung, New Jersey was arrested on Tuesday and charged him with conspiracy to distribute more as many as 16 kilograms of heroin and obstructing and impeding federal law enforcement officers, officials said.

The Drug Enforcement Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention consider 30 milligrams of heroin to be a lethal dose.

Bouza was scheduled to appear on Wednesday afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael A. Hammer in Newark federal court. He was expected to appear on an outstanding warrant charging him with narcotics offenses and fleeing from law enforcement, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced.

According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:

In February, Bouza arranged for a vehicle that was equipped with a secret compartment, or “trap,” containing over 16 kilograms of heroin, to be shipped from California to Union County, according to a release from Carpenito's office.

Law enforcement officers intercepted the vehicle, seized the narcotics, and arranged for a controlled delivery. Law enforcement officers observed Bouza enter the area, but he departed prior to taking possession of the vehicle, officials said.

Bouza’s narcotics-related activities in several New Jersey counties continued over the following months. In October, law enforcement officers determined that Bouza was storing and processing narcotics for street-level distribution at multiple locations in Essex County, the release said.

Officers approached Bouza, who fled in a truck or car and attempted to ram a law enforcement vehicle in an effort to elude law enforcement, the release said.

Law enforcement officers subsequently discovered more than 1,000 packages, or “bricks,” of heroin, each containing approximately 50 individual doses, in one of Bouza’s stash houses, the release said.

They also seized over $400,000 in cash from one of Bouza’s other stash houses.

The conspiracy to distribute heroin count carries a maximum penalty of life in prison, a mandatory minimum term of 10 years in prison and a $10 million fine. The obstructing and impeding federal law enforcement officers charge carries a maximum penalty of eight years imprisonment and a $250,000 fine.