On Wednesday, January 14, 2026, at approximately 1:10 p.m., Detectives from the New Castle County Division of Police Violent Crimes Interdiction Team contacted 20-year-old Jazzlyn Johnson and 19-year-old Johan Aponte, both of Wilmington, while they were in a vehicle arriving at a location in the 300 block of Cherry Lane.
A search warrant was obtained and executed on the vehicle, during which Detectives located a .22-caliber handgun. The firearm was later confirmed to have been reported stolen the previous day from a vehicle within the Wilmington Police Department’s jurisdiction. The occupants of the vehicle, Jazzlyn Johnson and Johan Aponte, are both prohibited from possessing firearms due to prior convictions and were taken into custody.
As the investigation continued, Detectives obtained and executed a search warrant at their residence in the 600 block of North Broom Street in Wilmington. At the residence, Detectives contacted 43-year-old Sonia Aponte, 48-year-old Juan Pena-Matos, and 29-year-old Juan Castro.
During the search, Detectives recovered approximately 521 grams of cocaine along with additional drug paraphernalia. The investigation determined that all individuals were involved in a larger-scale drug operation.
All suspects were taken into custody and transported to New Castle County Police Headquarters.
Jazzlyn Johnson was charged with felony offenses including possession of a firearm, possession of a firearm or ammunition by a person prohibited, carrying a concealed deadly weapon, receiving a stolen firearm, and second-degree conspiracy. Johnson was arraigned at Justice of the Peace Court 11 and committed to the Delores J. Baylor Women’s Correctional Institution in lieu of $45,000 cash bail.
Johan Aponte was charged with felony offenses including possession of a firearm with two violent felonies, possession of a firearm or ammunition by a person prohibited, carrying a concealed deadly weapon, receiving a stolen firearm, second-degree conspiracy, possession of a controlled substance Tier 3, and possession with intent to deliver Tier 3. Police also reported Aponte had an outstanding warrant issued by the Wilmington Police Department. He was arraigned at Justice of the Peace Court 11 and committed to the Howard R. Young Correctional Institution in lieu of $161,000 secured bail.
Sonia Aponte, Juan Pena-Matos, and Juan Castro were each charged with felony offenses including possession with intent to deliver Tier 3, possession of a controlled substance Tier 3, and second-degree conspiracy. Sonia Aponte was arraigned at Justice of the Peace Court 11 and committed to the Delores J. Baylor Women’s Correctional Institution in lieu of $122,000 secured bail. Juan Pena-Matos and Juan Castro were each arraigned at Justice of the Peace Court 11 and committed to the Howard R. Young Correctional Institution in lieu of $42,000 cash bail.
