TOMS RIVER — A man convicted in absentia on a wide array of drug, weapons and tax charges has been returned to Ocean County after being captured in Mexico, authorities said.
Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer announced that Jason Bacon, 43, formerly of Brick Township, was taken into custody by the United States Marshals Fugitive Task Force in Mexico on January 15. He was extradited to New Jersey on February 4 and is now being held at the Ocean County Jail pending sentencing.
Bacon was tried and convicted in January 2025 after failing to appear for his criminal trial, which proceeded without him. A jury found him guilty on numerous counts tied to an alleged large-scale marijuana and hashish operation, along with financial and weapons offenses.
The investigation began in December 2017 when Clayton Township police identified a large greenhouse behind a vacant home on Delsea Drive. Investigators determined the property was consuming unusually high amounts of water and electricity and had received freight shipments consistent with marijuana cultivation. Records showed the home was owned by Bacon, who also maintained a residence in Brick Township.
Search warrants executed in April 2018 at both locations led to the seizure of more than 25 pounds of marijuana, over five pounds of hashish and related products, marijuana plants, cultivation equipment and a loaded .25-caliber handgun, authorities said.
A later financial investigation revealed Bacon deposited more than $400,000 in proceeds from illegal drug sales between 2013 and 2018 and failed to report that income or pay taxes, prosecutors said.
Although Bacon was initially detained following his 2018 arrest, he was released in 2019 under New Jersey bail reform. He later failed to appear for trial before Superior Court Judge Guy P. Ryan, who presided over the case.
Bacon is scheduled to be sentenced April 17.
Billhimer credited multiple local, county, state and federal agencies for their roles in the investigation, prosecution and international apprehension that led to Bacon’s return to Ocean County.
