A Hudson County corrections officer, as well as two inmates and a civilian, were arrested following a narcotics investigation at the county correctional facility in Kearny, Acting Prosecutor Wayne Mello announced.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
Marquis Santiago, 33, correctional police officer, and Francisco Salcedo, 44, of Jersey City, and an inmate at the HCCF, are charged with three counts of distributing K2, and conspiracy to distribute K2, Mello said in a statement.
A second inmate, Israel Rosado, 38, of Newark, is charged with one count of possession of K2, a third-degree crime.
Santiago was arrested at the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office in Jersey City on Tuesday, October 14, 2025, and released pending his first court appearance.
Salcedo and Rosado were processed on summons complaints at the Hudson County Correctional Facility on Tuesday, October 14th
Additionally, Alvin DeLeon, 31, of Bayonne, is charged with conspiracy to distribute K2. He was arrested at the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office in Jersey City on Thursday, October 16th and released pending his first court appearance.
The investigation found that on various dates between January 8th and April 7th, Santiago provided Salcedo with K2 inside the Hudson County Correctional Facility.
Salcedo then distributed K2 throughout the facility, including to Rosado. DeLeon assisted in the distribution process.
“The Hudson County Department of Corrections is committed to the core values of safety and rehabilitation,” added Hudson County Department of Corrections Director Becky Scott.
“Our employees are held to a high standard in order to protect the integrity of this facility, and I thank the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office Internal Affairs Unit and the Hudson County Department of Corrections Internal Affairs Unit and Intelligence Bureau for their diligence in this investigation.”
Additionally, Mello credited the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office Internal Affairs Unit and the Hudson County Department of Corrections Internal Affairs Unit and Intelligence Bureau with the investigation and arrests.
