Joshua T. Zinewicz charged with possession of heroin

Joshua T. Zinewicz, 26, of 15 Scotland Road was stopped in his green Ford Explorer on Town Street at Washington Street Extension Tuesday night.Police said heroin — 6,000 bags in all — was discovered in a hidden hydraulic compartment where the passenger side airbag would be. Police also seized $4,500 in cash and the Explorer. The heroin, police said, was portioned into 600 bundles and had a street value of between $60,000 and $120,000.Zinewicz was charged with possession of heroin and possession of more than one ounce of heroin with intent to sell. He was arraigned Wednesday in Norwich Superior Court. City police detectives had learned early Tuesday of the possible large-scale drug deal, court documents show. Specifically, police said they found out Zinewicz would be transporting a large amount of heroin from New York City to Norwich.Zinewicz was placed under surveillance Tuesday and was being watched when he met with a man with a record of drug arrests at the McDonald’s on Town Street. Zinewicz later drove to Bronx, N.Y., to visit a heroin supplier, police said.City police had contacted federal agents with the Drug Enforcement Administration who were waiting in the Bronx. At 7:55 p.m. Tuesday, Zinewicz was seen entering and leaving an undisclosed address in Bronx, police said. The eventual arrest, shortly after 10 p.m., was conducted with aid from the New London Police Department K-9 unit. In court, Zinewicz was ordered held under a combined medical and suicide watch and scheduled to return June 12 to Norwich Superior Court.