Sarlo Seeks Crackdown on Pawn Shops To Counter Drug Flow on ‘Heroin Highway’

TRENTON – Reacting to accounts of the escalating transfer and use of heroin and other drugs along Route 23, Senator Paul Sarlo said today that he will introduce legislation to crack down on the easy sale of goods at pawn shops that are used by drug users to get quick cash.

Running from Sussex County through Morris, Passaic and Essex counties, the roadway connecting drug users and dealers has been dubbed “Heroin Highway.” A motorist under the influence of heroin recently crashed into a gas station on Route 23 in Wayne, killing three people.

“The heroin epidemic is a crisis with deadly consequences,” said Senator Sarlo. “The flow of drugs and drug users along this roadway facilitates a drug trade that creates dangers for the local communities. The easy sale of stolen goods to pawn shops by addicts is contributing to the drug epidemic.”

Senator Sarlo’s bill would require anyone selling products to pawn shops to show identification and have the shops hold the items for at least seven business days before reselling or salvaging them. The stores and the pawn shops have become magnets for drug-addicted shoplifters and the sale of stolen goods.

Law enforcement officials say that addicts target big-box stores in the area to shoplift goods they bring to pawn shops before going to purchase drugs. A state investigation singled out Route 23 as a “drug corridor” for heroin and illegal prescription pills.

“This is a reasonable action that can help deter the quick sale of stolen goods to support illegal drug use,” said Senator Sarlo. “We have to act to counter a drug epidemic that is a law enforcement and public health crisis.”