Crime & Safety
Pair Accused of Drug Dealings at Sparta Restaurant
Michael Depasquale, 30, of Wantage, and Caleb Briggs, 20, of Franklin, arrested after 20 bags of heroin found in eatery's bathroom, police said.
Two men have been arrested in connection with a series of drug transactions and a large amount of heroin found in a Sparta restaurant, police said.
According to Sgt. John-Paul Beebe, the owner of the eatery, which police declined to identify, told officers he found heroin on Oct. 5 left in his bathroom for one of his workers by an unknown customer. Police recovered two “bundles”—20 bags of heroin—labeled with the phrase “TJ MAX,” Beebe said.
Michael Depasquale, 30, of Wantage, a restaurant employee, allegedly purchased the bundles of heroin from Caleb Briggs, 20, of Franklin, who collected the cash at a predetermined location and then placed the drugs at the restaurant for later pickup, Beebe said.
Depasquale was charged with criminal attempt, Briggs was charged with possession with intent to distribute heroin. Both were processed and then released on their own recognizance, Beebe said.
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