Toms River, NJ man indicted for running drug production facility in Holiday City

A Toms River man who was allegedly running a drug production facility out of a home in Holiday City has been indicted.

Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer announced Thursday that Daniel Kessel, 35, was indicted by a Grand Jury sitting in Ocean County on charges of Maintaining or Operating a Controlled Dangerous Substance Production Facility, Financial Facilitation of Criminal Activity, Possession of Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) with Intent to Distribute, Possession of More than Five Pounds of Hashish with Intent to Distribute, Possession of Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), and Possession of Hashish.

Berkeley Police ran an investigation after learning what was going on in 2020, and on August 25 of that year, they executed a court-authorized search warrant of Kessel's residence and Detectives seized approximately seven pounds of Hashish, two pounds of THC, drug paraphernalia, equipment and supplies indicative of manufacturing and distributing narcotics, and approximately $18,000 in United States currency.

Kessel, at that time, was also keeping a safety deposit box at a Bank of America branch in Toms River, and the day after his 2020 arrest, Detectives executed a court-authorized search warrant on that box and seized an additional $61,000 in United States currency.

Kessel was arrested and then brought to the Ocean County Jail but was later released because of New Jersey's Bail Reform Law.

Prosecutor Billhimer also announced that Ocean County Assistant Prosecutor Genna Moscato presented the case to the Grand Jury on behalf of the State.

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Kessel was arrested by Berkeley Township Police in October of 2021 after he was caught illegally selling marijuana out of a home on Vail Street in Holiday City.

Police had been receiving calls from concerned and frustrated residents living in the Holiday City section of Toms River, regarding the amount of vehicle and pedestrian traffic in their neighborhood.

"This distribution operation was of such a magnitude that it caused significant pedestrian and vehicular traffic to the area which greatly affected the quality of life in this normally quiet location," Berkeley Township Police Chief Kevin Santucci said in a statement at the time of the arrest.

Kessel, who operated the business known as "Bud Hub", was charged at that time with 2nd degree Money Laundering, possession of Marijuana, possession of Marijuana with the intent to distribute, and distribution of Marijuana.