Three Wildwood residents have been charged with running an alleged drug manufacturing facility after a joint investigation ended Friday, November 13, with a court-authorized search that turned up more than four ounces of cocaine and about $30,000 in cash, the Cape May County Prosecutor's Office announced.

Source: South Jersey NewsBeat, Nov 13 2026

Cape May County Prosecutor Jeffrey H. Sutherland and Wildwood Police Chief Joseph Murphy announced the arrests on Friday. The three people charged are Gonzalo Soto-Jimenez, 48, of Wildwood; Yemely Natal-Castro, 42, of Wildwood; and Brandon Soto-Dawson, 27, of Wildwood, according to the Prosecutor's Office.

Source: Cape May Scanner, Nov 13 2026

How the search unfolded

According to prosecutors, the Cape May County Prosecutor's Office Gangs, Guns, and Narcotics Task Force concluded a joint investigation on Friday into the distribution of controlled dangerous substances in Wildwood. That same day, investigators executed a court-authorized search warrant at Soto-Jimenez's residence in the city.

The operation involved members of the Prosecutor's Office Gangs, Guns, and Narcotics Task Force, the Wildwood Police Department and the Cape May County Regional SWAT Team, working in cooperation with the federal Drug Enforcement Administration and Homeland Security Investigations, the Prosecutor's Office said.

During the search, authorities reported recovering more than four ounces of cocaine and approximately $30,000 in U.S. currency. Investigators also recovered what prosecutors described as additional evidence indicating that the three were operating a drug manufacturing facility. Prosecutors did not specify the type of manufacturing activity allegedly taking place at the residence or provide further details about the evidence recovered.

The charges each defendant faces

All three defendants were charged with the same five offenses: maintaining a narcotics manufacturing facility, a first-degree crime; distribution of a controlled dangerous substance, a second-degree crime; possession of cocaine, a third-degree crime; money laundering, a third-degree crime; and possession with intent to distribute drug paraphernalia, a fourth-degree crime, according to the Prosecutor's Office.

Under New Jersey law, a conviction for a first-degree crime generally carries a potential prison sentence of 10 to 20 years. The three defendants were processed and lodged at the Cape May County Correctional Facility, where they remained in custody pending further court proceedings as of Friday's announcement.

What officials said, and what happens next

Sutherland said his office will continue working with federal, state and local law enforcement agencies to target illegal drug distribution and unlawful firearm possession throughout Cape May County, and he encouraged residents to report suspected criminal activity. The case now moves into the court process in Cape May County, where the defendants are expected to face first appearances and detention proceedings; no court dates were announced in Friday's statement.

Wildwood is a Jersey Shore resort city in Cape May County, at the southern end of New Jersey, known for its boardwalk and summer tourism; year-round residents live alongside a large seasonal economy. New Jersey is also home to one of the largest Punjabi diaspora communities in the United States, concentrated around Edison and Jersey City, and drug-enforcement actions anywhere in the state draw close attention from immigrant communities who follow how joint county, state and federal task forces operate.

All charges are accusations. The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.