NJ police bust $1M in drugs at rental storage unit, Mercer County home

HAMILTON (Mercer) — A 35-year-old township man was arrested after a K-9 helped police track down over a million dollars’ worth of illegal drugs at two locations in Mercer County.

The month-long investigation into cocaine distribution in Hamilton Township also netted five handguns and $65,000 in cash, Acting Mercer County Prosecutor Theresa Hilton announced.

James Nalbone Jr. was arrested on Aug. 7, after a search of his Byron Avenue home turned up six kilograms of suspected cocaine, 130 pounds of suspected marijuana, 2,000 suspected oxycodone pills and the weapons and money, Hilton said.

After searching Nalbone’s car, a Lincoln MKZ, police said they found paperwork for a rental storage unit in the defendant’s name.

Inside of the storage unit along Quakerbridge Road in Hamilton, Hilton said detectives found another 12 kilograms of cocaine, 20 pounds of marijuana, and a large amount of edible cannabis.

The total street value of the confiscated cocaine was about $630,000, Hilton said, while the marijuana was valued at $450,000 and the oxycodone pills had a collective value of $22,500.

Nalbone has been charged with money laundering and 18 varied narcotics and weapons offenses.