Jordan Gonzalez, 33, of New York and formerly of Jersey City, is charged by criminal complaint with one count of attempting to manufacture methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDA) and one count of possessing chemicals and materials to manufacture a controlled substance.
Law enforcement officers are executing search warrants in New Jersey and New York in connection with the ongoing investigation that led to the arrest.
In the complaint it states that Gonzalez made a series of purchases through an online auction website of materials associated with the manufacture of MDA, a hallucinogen and Schedule I controlled substance.
The manufacturing charge carries a maximum potential penalty of 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine. T The possession of equipment charge carries a maximum potential penalty of four years in prison and a maximum $250,000 fine, or twice the gross gain or loss from the offense.
Gonzalez was picked up on Bleecker Street in Jersey City just after 12:30 a.m. Thursday morning.
Authorities closed the street and searched the building for hazardous materials. A daycare across the street was also closed due to the investigation.
Gonzalez is expected to be arraigned later Thursday in federal court in Newark.
