TOMS RIVER, NJ – A Brick Township man convicted of running an extensive marijuana and hashish operation while evading justice for more than a year has been captured in Mexico and returned to New Jersey to face sentencing, authorities announced Thursday.
Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said Jason Bacon, 43, was apprehended in Mexico on January 15 by the U.S. Marshals Task Force. He was extradited to New Jersey on February 4 and is now being held at the Ocean County Jail, where he awaits sentencing on a wide range of drug trafficking and financial crimes for which he was convicted in absentia in January 2025.
Bacon’s conviction stems from a yearslong investigation launched in December 2017 by the Clayton Township Police Department after officers discovered a massive greenhouse operation hidden behind a vacant residence on Delsea Drive. Detectives traced the property to Bacon, who also maintained a home in Brick Township.
On April 26, 2018, law enforcement executed search warrants at both locations, uncovering more than 25 pounds of marijuana, five pounds of hashish and hashish products, numerous plants, cultivation equipment, and a loaded .25-caliber handgun. Bacon was initially detained but later released under New Jersey’s bail reform statutes in April 2019.
Financial trail exposed $400K in illegal proceeds
Investigators later determined that Bacon had deposited more than $400,000 in proceeds from illegal narcotics sales into personal bank accounts between 2013 and 2018 while failing to report the income or pay taxes. Prosecutors charged him with multiple drug and financial offenses, including operating a controlled dangerous substance facility, distribution of narcotics, and tax evasion.
Bacon’s trial began January 14, 2025, before Judge Guy P. Ryan in Ocean County Superior Court, but he failed to appear. The proceedings continued without him, and on January 30, 2025, a jury found him guilty on multiple counts, including maintaining a drug facility, possession and intent to distribute marijuana and hashish, cocaine possession, financial facilitation, firearms offenses, and failure to file income taxes.
• Jason Bacon, 43, captured in Mexico and extradited to New Jersey February 4
• Convicted in absentia of large-scale marijuana trafficking and tax evasion
• Faces sentencing April 17, 2026, before Ocean County Superior Court Judge Guy P. Ryan
Prosecutor Billhimer praised the collaborative work of multiple agencies, including the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Narcotics Strike Force, the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force, and police departments from Clayton and Brick Townships. “This case exemplifies persistence and teamwork across jurisdictions,” Billhimer said. “Thanks to their coordinated efforts, this defendant will finally face justice.”
