BRICK – A Brick Township man was charged with weapon and drug offenses after a Snapchat post showing these illegal items were linked to him.
Detectives in Barnegat’s Crime Reduction Unit saw Snapchat pictures of a firearm and a quantity of cash in a vehicle.
Barnegat, working with the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Narcotics Strike Force, and police departments in Brick, Lakewood and Toms River, identified the owner as Taishaun Cosme, 24, of Brick.
Using Snapchat’s geo-location function, they located him driving in Lakewood, where he was pulled over and his vehicle was searched with a warrant.
Officers said they found a .40 caliber semi-automatic handgun and several rounds of hollow point bullets, as well as a “significant amount” of cocaine, a digital scale, and assorted paraphernalia.
He is charged with Possession of Cocaine in an Amount Greater than One-Half Ounce with Intent to Distribute; Possession of Cocaine; Possession of Drug Paraphernalia; Possession of a Weapon while Committing a Controlled Dangerous Substance Offence; Unlawful Possession of a Weapon; Possession of a Prohibited Weapon or Device; Cyber Harassment; and Disorderly Conduct.
Cosme is assumed innocent until proven guilty.
Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer acknowledged the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Narcotics Strike Force, Barnegat Township Police Department Crime Reduction Unit and Detective Bureau, Toms River Township Police Department Special Enforcement Team and Detective Bureau, Lakewood Township Patrol Division, Street Crimes Unit and Detective Bureau, and Brick Township Police Department Patrol Division, Street Crimes Unit and Detective Bureau, for their assistance in this investigation which lead to Cosme’s arrest.
“The apprehension of Taishaun Cosme is a prime example of what law enforcement agencies can accomplish when they work together,” he said. “This was truly a collaborative effort by multiple departments to remove a dangerous drug dealer from the streets of Ocean County. We will continue to relentlessly pursue individuals that poison our communities with drugs and terrify our neighborhoods with guns.”
