Gary police nab 2 in major drug busts; officer receives dose of Narcan

GARY, Ind. - Editor's note: Gary police previously said that Ronald Jeffries Jr. has done time in prison for murder. That information is incorrect, as police say they confused the two suspects. Ebler has done time for murder.

Two major drug busts in Gary led to two arrests and one police officer needing to receive a dose of Narcan. 

Gary police said it's proof of how dangerous the job is.

The first drug bust led the Narcotics Unit Detectives to a dealer that lived on Harrison Street in Merrillville, Ind. The suspect was allegedly supplying cocaine to people living in Gary. 

On March 26, John Ebler was taken into custody and charged with two felony counts for dealing cocaine. He has since bonded out. 

Ebler has already done time in prison for murder. 

John Ebler and Ronald Jeffries Jr. (Gary Police)

The second suspect was identified as Ronald Jeffries Jr. 

When officers got a search warrant for Jeffries' home, in the 5100 block of Ohio Court, they found $12,000 in cash, eight rifles, three handguns, two shotguns and a multitude of drugs. 

"We did recover 42 grams of heroin inside the residence," said Commander Jack Hamady. "As SWAT was making entry into the residence, he was cooking the crack cocaine in the kitchen area. He tried to discard the crack cocaine and flush it."

"He threw some heroin up on a cabinet and this is where it got a little dicey. One of our officers went up to try to locate the item that was discarded. He found the heroin, he didn't know what it was at that time, the substance that was discarded on top. As he was pulling it down, the bag opened up and landed on him. They had to utilize Narcan on him."

Hamady said the officer was transported to Methodist Northlake hospital where he was treated and released. The officer is in good condition.

Jefferies Jr. is charged with nine felonies. 

Gary Police have issued a retraction about their error on Jeffries' charges, shared below: 

"As you know, during today’s press conference at the Gary Police Department it was stated that Mr. Ronald Jeffries Jr. was a serious violent felon. We have since learned that this statement was false and request that any mention of criminal history be immediately removed from any stories published on this subject."