Two suspended Monmouth County police officers charged with drug crimes have now been linked to the distribution of an illicit drug that is intended for treating breathing disorders in animals, prosecutors said.

The Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office announced Friday they were filing additional charges against Deal Police Officer Joseph Ammaturo, who is currently suspended without pay after he was arrested on drug and witness tampering charges in December 2018.

Now, he is facing a litany of other drug charges for allegedly possessing Clenbuterol, Testosterone Cypionate and Doxycyclin, as well as intending to distribute Clenbuterol, a drug not approved for human use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

According to the Drug Enforcement Administration, Clenbuterol can be abused, typically by bodybuilders and athletes, as a way to increase lean muscle mass and reduce body fat. In the U.S. it is only approved to treat breathing problems in horses, but it is used to treat asthma in humans in some countries.

Prosecutors said the distribution charges Ammaturo, a 14-year veteran, is now facing are related to charges that Ocean Township police officer Ryan Vaccaro was arrested on in February.

Vaccaro was charged with possessing and distributing Clenbuterol. He has been suspended without pay pending the outcome of this case.

During the execution of a search warrant at Ammaturo’s Long Branch residence at the time of his arrest, authorities said they discovered hundreds of prescription drugs. An investigation later revealed that Ammaturo obtained three boxes of Clenbuterol containing approximately 150 pills from Vaccaro and that he distributed two of those boxes to other individuals, prosecutors said.

The charges against Ammaturo and Vaccaro will be presented to a grand jury, prosecutors said. State records show that both officers earned more than $100,000 annually before they were suspended without pay due to the charges.

“Law enforcement officers are sworn to uphold the law and it is a breach of the public’s trust when they violate their oath. This office will aggressively pursue and prosecute any officers who cross that line,” said Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni.

Police chiefs in both departments expressed dismay about the accusations against their officers.

“Joseph Ammaturo’s alleged conduct has been an embarrassment to this department and the law enforcement community as a whole,” Deal Police Chief Ronen Neuman said in a statement. “We do not tolerate or condone his alleged behavior."

Ocean Township Police Chief Steven R. Peters apologized to the township’s residents for Vaccaro, who he said has “brought such shame” to the department.

“We are shocked, embarrassed and angered by the conduct of Officer Vaccaro,’ the chief said in a statement.

The investigation is active and ongoing, according to the prosecutor’s office.

Joe Atmonavage may be reached at jatmonavage@njadvancemedia.com. Follow on Twitter @monavage. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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