River Styx Grill Sale Part of Accused Heroin Ring Runner's Plea Deal

A Newark man admitted he was the dealer selling mass quantities of heroin to a Lake Hopatcong restauranteur, who in turn was allegedly running a heroin trafficking ring spanning Essex, Sussex and Morris counties.

Frank L. Griffin, 52, said in Morristown Superior Court Wednesday that he sold as many as 10 "bricks" of heroin at a time to John Davieau, the owner of the River Styx Grill, according to a report at NJ.com.

Griffin, who faces up to six years in prison under a plea agreement reached in January, said Davieau would "place his order" via phone call or text message, then drive his pick-up truck into Newark to get the heroin, the NJ.com story related.

Davieau, who lives in Jefferson, also appeared in court. Attorneys for Davieau said they hadn't yet reached a plea agreement, but they were working on it and hoped to have it resolved by Friday, the NJ.com story said.

Part of the plea deal includes monies Davieau hopes to realize on the sale of his restaurant, which is listed for $750,000, according to NJ.com, along with vehicles and cash. Davieau faces a five-year prison sentence for his part in the heroin ring.

The restaurant had remained closed immediately after Davieau's arrest, but reopened several weeks later.

Hopatcong resident Rachael Dean, 30, and Maria McHugh, 28, of Ledgewood, both pleaded guilty in August to buying the drug, and they named Davieau as their supplier. The women worked out a plea deal that put them into drug treatment programs while doing community service. They are slated to be sentenced within the next month or two.

Griffin said in court that during the last weeks before the heroin story broke, Davieau had purchased as many as 1,900 individual doses (known as "folds") of heroin, the NJ.com story said. As part of his plea deal, Griffin turned over to authorities the last $2,000 that Davieau paid him for the heroin, when Davieau and six others were arrested on Aug. 6.