NEW CASTLE, DE — A routine vehicle contact by a county violence-reduction team escalated into a multi-location investigation that police allege exposed a cocaine trafficking operation and led to the arrests of five people on a slate of felony charges.
According to the New Castle County Police, detectives with the Violent Crimes Interdiction Team, working alongside the Delaware Probation and Parole, contacted 20-year-old Jazzlyn Johnson and 19-year-old Johan Aponte, both of Wilmington, at approximately 1:10 p.m. on Wednesday, January 14, 2026. Police said the pair had arrived in a vehicle in the 300 block of Cherry Lane when detectives made contact.
Investigators obtained and executed a search warrant for the vehicle, where they allege a .22-caliber handgun was recovered. Police said the firearm was later confirmed to have been reported stolen the previous day from a vehicle within the Wilmington Police Department’s jurisdiction. Authorities allege both occupants were prohibited from possessing firearms due to prior convictions and were taken into custody without incident…