Hopatcong NJ Heroin Distribution Ring
The owner of a restaurant in Hopatcong NJ has accepted a plea agreement for heroin distribution charges.
55-year-old John Davieau, the owner of River Styx Grill in Hopatcong, New Jersey, accepted a plea agreement from the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office which significantly reduced the charges he was facing for heroin distribution. Mr. Davieau had been accused of furnishing heroin to five individuals for further distribution in Morris County as well as Sussex County. He was among seven individuals arrested on August 6 after an ongoing police investigation.
Authorities identified Mr. Davieau as the leader of the drug distribution ring. According to prosecutors, Mr. Davieau admitted to having sold 1,900 separate doses of heroin between July 22 and August 6.
As part of his plea deal, Mr. Davieau pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess heroin with the intent to distribute more than one-half ounce, a crime of the second degree.
The plea negotiation between Mr. Davieau’s attorney and the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office resulted in Mr. Davieau agreeing to serve five years in New Jersey State Prison in addition to paying fines totaling more than $53,000. Additionally, as a result of a civil suit filed by the prosecutor’s office, Mr. Davieau must sell his restaurant, forfeit his 2008 Dodge Durango, and pay $2,000 to the prosecutor’s office for his 2011 Chevy Colorado, which was seized at the time of his arrest.
Mr. Davieau will face official sentencing on February 28 next year.
Above Mr. Davieau in the supply chain was 52-year-old Newark resident Frank Griffin. Prosecutors said that Mr. Griffin admitted to supplying Mr. Davieau with heroin after the two were introduced by 30-year-old Hopatcong resident Rachael Dean. Ms. Dean, a former heroin customer, pleaded guilty to drug-related charges following her arrest.
To learn more about this case, see the NJ.com article entitled “Hopatcong Restaurateur Admits Supplying Heroin to Suburban Drug Ring.“
