Three New Jersey men charged in the biggest case of pills in the history of the state

Three New Jersey men were arrested after investigators seized about half a million counterfeit drug tablets in what the authorities have described as the largest pill theft in the state's history.

Chester Anderson, 44, allegedly opened two dark web shops to sell fake Xanax pills and other drugs to buyers from across the country. Jarrette Codd, 41, and Ronald MacCarty, 51, reportedly helped make the pills, officials said.

During the investigation, authorities seized hundreds of thousands of fake Xanax tablets, as well as large quantities of drugs, including methamphetamine and 500 heroin capsules supplemented with fentanyl.

Authorities began investigating the suspects in 2017 after the Manhattan District Attorney's Office in New York was alerted to large sums of cash withdrawn from ATMs in the five boroughs and in New Jersey. The suspicious transactions led the authorities to Anderson, Codd and MacCarty.

Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. said his office was standing as an interested buyer and that during his undercover operation, he had purchased more than 10,000 tablets from the suspects. They also discovered that more than 1,000 packages had been shipped to 43 states, Washington DC and Puerto Rico, Vance said.

At a press conference on Tuesday, he said the Xanax tablets had a market value of about $ 3 million. He stated that the amount of fentanyl seized heroin that was seized was "disturbing" because this combination can "be a fatal experience".

According to a statement from Vance's office, almost all parcels had a return address that falsely identified the sender with addresses related to law firms and real estate agencies in New York.

Anderson and MacCarty have reportedly created a shell company to transport more than 1,000 kilograms of microcrystalline cellulose, the main ingredient used in the manufacture of pharmaceutical pills, to an address in New Jersey, officials and court documents said.

The suspects also reportedly used a cell phone repair shop in Asbury Park, New Jersey, owned by McCarty, to buy pill presses, a powder blender, and "punch dies" that were used to help counterfeit pills. Xanax to appear real.

"Not only is this the first time state attorneys in New York remove a black shop, but this taking possession represents the largest pills seizure in New Jersey history." "said Vance. "If you engage in an illegal activity on the web," you are aware: we know how to find you, we know how to bankrupt you and we can hold you criminally responsible. "

Anderson and his co-defendants were allegedly paid with cryptocurrency, which they then used to finance prepaid debit cards. The suspects used debit cards to withdraw large sums of money from ATMs. In total, they laundered over $ 2.3 million in revenue, prosecutors said.

The three suspects were charged with conspiracy and money laundering. Anderson has also been indicted for several counts of criminal sale of a controlled substance and identity theft. The Middlesex County Attorney's Office is responsible for the prosecution of seized items in New Jersey.

A spokesman for the prosecutor's office said Anderson, Codd and MacCarty would soon be brought to justice.