The message contained no content and was treated as a 911 "hang-up."
GLOUCESTER TWP. -- A 1 a.m. text message to 911 allegedly led police to a township home containing more than three pounds of marijuana, oxycodone pills and $12,000.
The text message -- which contained no information and was thus treated as a "hang-up" -- was received by police dispatch at 1:12 a.m. Tuesday. Gloucester Township police then responded to 46 Ashland Avenue after GPS coordinates were used to locate the source of the sender.
Police on scene saw people inside the home, but nobody answered the door for more than an hour. Police say Rene Cruz, 34, of Camden, eventually answered the phone following repeated attempts by police dispatch to contact the device used to text 911.
"Dispatchers reported that he sounded disoriented and believed he may have been in distress," township police said in a news release, adding that Cruz eventually answered the door for police and said he sent the text message.
Neighborhood heroin house taken down
Cruz told police that two other men -- Steven Rivera, 35, who lived at the address when the message was sent from, and Neomaya Davila, 35, of Winslow -- were "passed out" inside.
While performing a welfare check on the duo, officers allegedly ran across a "significant quantity" of raw marijuana. Continued investigation allegedly revealed 3-and-a-half pounds of marijuana, 42 oxycodone pills, drug packaging materials and $12,830 in cash.
Police said the narcotics belonged to Rivera, who was charged with possession and intent to distribute the marijuana and oxycodone and well as possession of controlled dangerous substance (CDS) paraphernalia.
Cruz was arrested for an outstanding arrest warrant out of Deptford, while Davila was arrested for an outstanding arrest warrant from Camden City.
Greg Adomaitis may be reached at gadomaitis@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @GregAdomaitis. Find NJ.com on Facebook.