Acting on tip, police find ecstasy mill in Haledon home

Hannan Adely, NorthJersey.com
Updated ·1 min read

Haledon police busted an ecstasy manufacturing operation in the bedroom of a residential home in the borough on Saturday, authorities announced.

Acting on a resident’s tip, members of the Investigative and Special Services Bureau carried out a search warrant in the 300 block of Haledon Avenue. In a bedroom of the home, police found two 5-gallon buckets containing 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine, also known as MDMA. Police said they also found additional small quantities of MDMA and cocaine on the property, along with manufacturing equipment and fraudulent government identification documents.

The Passaic County Hazmat Team, the Haledon Board of Health and the Haledon Fire Department also responded to the scene.

Police arrested Santiago Zapata-Palomeque, 23, who resided at the home. Police said the evidence they collected was found in his bedroom. Zapata-Palomeque was charged with maintaining a controlled dangerous substance production facility, possession/manufacturing/intent to distribute, and possession of fraudulent government IDs.

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Haledon Deputy Chief George Guzman, Jr., third from left in a ceremony from Aug. 11, 2022, said in a statement Saturday, Feb. 10, 2024, that the trust between community and police “played a pivotal role in the successful outcome of this operation.”
Haledon Deputy Chief George Guzman, Jr., third from left in a ceremony from Aug. 11, 2022, said in a statement Saturday, Feb. 10, 2024, that the trust between community and police “played a pivotal role in the successful outcome of this operation.”

MDMA, or ecstasy, is both a stimulant and a psychedelic that can cause an energizing effect, distortions in time and perception, and feelings of euphoria, the Drug Enforcement Administration says. It has effects similar to those of other stimulants, such as cocaine, including an increased heart rate, confusion, anxiety and depression. It is considered a “Schedule 1” controlled substance.

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Haledon Deputy Chief George Guzman Jr. said in a statement that the collaboration and trust between community and police “played a pivotal role in the successful outcome of this operation.”

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Police bust ecstasy mill in Haledon after resident's tip