BRICK, NJ – Henry Burns, a 56-year-old resident of Brick Township, entered a guilty plea on January 22, 2024, for major drug offenses and illegal weapon possession. This plea was made before Judge Kenneth T. Palmer, J.S.C., following an investigation spanning April to May 2023 in Brick Township and Asbury Park.
The joint investigation, involving the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Narcotics Strike Force, Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office Narcotics Strike Force, and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, uncovered Burns’ operations. He used a Brick Township residence and an Asbury Park storefront for cocaine storage and distribution. Surveillance led to his arrest in Red Bank in May 2023.
Search warrants executed at both locations resulted in the seizure of heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine, oxycodone, naproxen, alprazolam, ten handguns, high-capacity magazines, ammunition, and about $8,000 in cash. Burns, held at the Ocean County Jail since his arrest, faces a proposed sentence of 15 years in New Jersey State Prison for the drug charge and a concurrent ten-year term with a five-year parole disqualification for the weapon offense. Sentencing is scheduled for March 8, 2024.