Lacey couple busted on heroin charges

A Lacey couple has been arrested on heroin charges after police searched their Eagleswood Place home Wednesday night and found 514 folds, with a street value of about $5,000, according to Township Police Chief Michael C. DiBella.

29-year-old Anthony Cicerello and his fiancé 26-year-old Melissa Loehnert were charged with Heroin Possession and Distribution. Loehnert also was charged with Neglect of a child.

Investigators with the Lacey Township Police Department's Narcotics Unit showed up at the home in the Forked River section around 7:30 p.m. with a search warrant and also found multiple medications without a valid prescription, according to DiBella.

Loehnert was released on her own recognizance pending a court appearance. Cicerello was being held in the Ocean County Correctional Facility in default of $250,000 bail.

DiBella said his department last month initiated its Narcotics Unit, consisting of Lacey Township Police Detectives. The Narcotics Detectives have been working full-time to enforce violations of the drug laws, including but not limited to Heroin and prescription pain meds.

He noted there have been more than 100 Heroin/Opiate overdose deaths in Ocean County since September 8, 2016.

"In an effort to extend the reach of the Lacey Township Police Department, I have partnered with the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office Special Operations Group (Narcotics Task Force) to work together throughout Lacey Township and Southern Ocean County to tackle the Heroin and Opiate dealers," said DiBella in a news release. "In addition to the enforcement aspect, over the next few months, the Lacey Township Police Department will be working with various organizations, both in county and statewide to focus on bringing additional drug prevention and education programs to our community," added DiBella.

The Lacey Township Police Department urges residents to forward crime tips or report suspicious activity to the police department's website, www.LaceyPD.org/crime-tips/.

Contact reporter Dianne DeOliveira at Dianne.DeOliveira@townsquaremedia.com.

Residents also can contact the Lacey Township Police Department by telephone at 609-693-6636.