Jersey City police say felon had marijuana and guns and ammo in apartment in Greenville building guarded by 5 dogs

Wednesday, March 23, 2011
By MICHAELANGELO CONTE
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

A Jersey City felon was arrested yesterday in Greenville and found with a sawed-off shotgun, a handgun, suspected marijuana, and various types of ammo in a building guarded by three pit bulls and two Bullmastiffs, officials said.

Matthew J. Smart, 27, of Pacific Avenue, was arrested on Bayview Avenue at 11:30 a.m. and charged with multiple drug and weapons offenses, Lt. Edgar Martinez said.

Street Crime Unit and narcotics officers doing surveillance at the two-family building, which is known for drug trafficking, watched Smart apparently sell drugs to one man and show a gun to a second, reports said.

Officers converged on Smart on the street and then entered the building where they found a .40-caliber semiautomatic handgun and 27 small bags of suspected marijuana behind the open front door, reports said.

The door to the second-floor apartment was open and when police entered they found it guarded by a pit bull, reports said.

Once the dog was secured, police found the sawed-off 12-gauge behind a sofa and there were two shotgun shells next to it, as well as a box containing 39 .40-caliber rounds, reports said. Under a mattress were twenty-nine 9mm rounds, nine .45-caliber rounds and three .32-caliber rounds, reports said.

Four more dogs were found in the backyard and all were taken by Animal Control, reports said.

Smart was in state prison from Dec. 11, 2009 to July 6, 2010 for two counts of drug possession with intent to distribute within 1,000 feet of school property, corrections records said.

"The officers were able to put this dangerous guy, who was operating near a school, out of business," Police Chief Tom Comey said, adding that anyone who sees suspicious activity should call the police tip line at (201) 547-JAIL.