BURLINGTON TOWNSHIP NEW JERSEY DRUG DEALER CHARGED IN CONNECTION TO THE FATAL OVERDOSE DEATH OF A FLORENCE MAN
" Marques Palmer Has Been Charged With Strict Liability For A Drug Induced Death For Selling Counterfeit Pills That Caused The Fatal Overdose Of Johnathon Mariano."
February 2, 2022 By Art Fletcher Reporting For: Englebrook Independent News,
FLORENCE, NJ.- On Tuesday, February 1, 2022 Burlington County Prosecutor Scott Coffina and Florence Township Police Chief Brian Boldizar announced that a 26-Year-Old Burlington Township Drug Dealer has been Charged with Causing the Death of a Florence man who Fatally Overdosed in his home early last year on Counterfeit Prescription Drugs that Contained Fentanyl.
Marques A. Palmer, 26, of Florence, New Jersey has been Charged with First Degree Strict Liability for Drug-Induced Death;Third Degree Possession of a Controlled Dangerous Substance; and Third Degree Distribution of a Controlled Dangerous Substance.
Mr. Palmer surrendered on January 25, 2022 and has been lodged in The Burlington County Jail in Mount Holly, New Jersey pending a Detention Hearing in Burlington County State Superior Court. The case will be prepared for presentation to a Grand Jury for possible indictment.
The investigation began in April 2021, after Members of The Florence Township Police Department were responded to The 200 Block of Fifth Avenue in the Roebling Section of Town on a report of an Unconscious Man.
Upon arrival, Police Officers discovered the deceased body of 29-Year-Old Johnathon Mariano.
A subsequent autopsy performed by Burlington County Medical Examiner Dr. Ian Hood determined Mr. Mariano succumbed to Fentanyl Toxicity. The investigation revealed that Mr. Mariano Fatally Overdosed on Pills he purchased from Mr. Palmer. A Court Authorized Search Warrant was Executed at Mr. Palmer’s residence and resulted in the seizure of $10,500 in cash and more than 1,000 Pills that were determined by The Burlington County Forensic Science Laboratory to Contain Fentanyl.
The Blue Pills were identified as Counterfeit Controlled Prescription Drugs that were stamped with “M-30” in an attempt to Resemble Authentic Oxycodone 30 mg tablets. It is common for Counterfeit Pills to contain Fentanyl, which can be Fifty Times Stronger than Heroin, meaning those who take them are unaware of the potentially Lethal Consequences.
“Counterfeit prescription drugs are usually indistinguishable from the medicine we purchase from a pharmacy, with a doctor’s prescription,” Prosecutor Coffina said. “This is what makes them so dangerous, as it is impossible to tell whether a pill contains the medication that is sought, or instead, a lethal dose of fentanyl. We see too often in these tragic cases that simply experimenting with presumed prescription drugs obtained from some secondary source can be deadly. We urge everyone only to take medication that is prescribed by a physician and obtained from a licensed pharmacy.”
FILED UNDER FEBRUARY 2, 2022: LAW, BURLINGTON: