An Egg Harbor Township man is under investigation in an overdose death, according to information released at his detention hearing Monday.
Noel Castillo, 31, was arrested Feb. 25, after police searched his home as part of an investigation into the death of a township man identified in court papers only as J.S.
Castillo is not yet charged in the death. Instead, he was ordered held in jail Monday for the latest drug charges, which came while he is on probation in a 2018 conviction and after he was released on a summons for a Dec. 23 drug and money-laundering arrest out of Pleasantville.
The drug-induced death investigation is ongoing, Assistant Prosecutor Allison Eiselen told the judge.
J.S. died Feb. 18 at his home on Ridge Avenue, where police found a used hypodermic needle and approximately six folds of suspected heroin, according to the affidavit of probable cause.
They also found a cell phone with texts between J.S. and an N.C., who is believed to be Castillo.
The texts allegedly talk about drug sales, with the last sent from N.C. to J.S. at 10:31 p.m. Feb. 17 saying, "I'm here," according to the affidavit.
The last text messages between the two was Feb. 17, when N.C. arranged to sell J.S. "a whole one for 185," the affidavit states.
"A whole one" refers to a brick of heroin, or about 50 bags, the investigator writes.
J.S.'s mother and girlfriend told detectives that Castillo was J.S.'s drug dealer, according to the affidavit.
A search of Castillo's home led to a digital scale with white powdery residue, eight cell phones and $3,070 in cash believed to be proceeds from drug sales, Eiselen said in court.
But defense attorney Brenden Shur said there was no proof his client was tied to the death, and no heroin found at Castillo's home that would tie him to the death.
Most people have old cell phones around their home, Shur noted. And he said Castillo has worked and may have saved up the money.
Castillo will remain jailed on the third-degree drug charges.
The investigation into the death continues.
