Burlington County Man Charged in Vehicle Assault on State Trooper Pleads Guilty to Drug Charges: AG

A Burlington County man who was indicted on charges including aggravated assault for allegedly striking and injuring two state troopers with a car while trying to flee from the State Police pleaded guilty to a first-degree methamphetamine charge, Acting Attorney General John J. Hoffman said on Tuesday.

Juan Gutierrez-Valencia, 25, of Pemberton Township, pleaded guilty to first-degree possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, second-degree unlawful possession of a handgun, and fourth-degree obstructing the administration of law.

He faces 10 years in state prison, including three-and-a-half years of parole ineligibility.

Specifically, the state will recommend a sentence of 10 years on the drug charge, with concurrent sentences of five years, including three-and-a-half years of parole ineligibility, on the gun charge and 18 months on the obstruction charge.

Sentencing is scheduled for April 1.

He was indicted along with four men who have already pleaded guilty in the case on Dec. 5, 2014.

He was arrested on July 7, 2014 at a hotel on Fellowship Road in Mt. Laurel.

He met an undercover detective who said he would purchase two kilograms of crystal meth from him.

Guttierez-Valencia intended to make the sale in his car, but once the undercover detectivewas shown a large amount of methamphetamine in a black gym bag, he signaled members of the State Police TEAMS Unit to arrest Gutierrez-Valencia.

The detective had already exited the car when Gutierrez-Valencia allegedly tried to flee, driving his vehicle toward several troopers.

One trooper fired at Gutierrez-Valencia, who suffered a non-fatal gunshot wound to his arm.

Investigators arrested Gutierrez-Valencia and executed a search warrant for the vehicle, seizing two kilograms of methamphetamine and a stolen 9mm handgun.

The state trooper who fired at him has already been cleared of any wrongdoing in the case.

A day after Gutierrez-Valencia was arrested, four other men were arrested at the house where three of the defendants lived on Jacobstown Road in New Egypt.

The following four men have already pleaded guilty:

• Guadalupe Madrigal-Mejia, 36, of New Egypt (Plumsted Township, Ocean County), aka “Lupe,” pleaded guilty to a charge of first-degree distribution of heroin. The state will recommend that he be sentenced to 10 years in state prison.
• Elias Corona-Sanchez, 31, of North Hanover, aka “Peligro,” also pleaded guilty to a charge of first-degree distribution of heroin and will face a recommended sentence of 10 years in state prison.
• Juan Mendez, 48, of New Egypt, pleaded guilty to second-degree possession of heroin with intent to distribute. The state will recommend that he be sentenced to seven years in state prison.
• Antonio Esqueda, 34, of New Egypt, pleaded guilty to third-degree possession of cocaine with intent to distribute. The state will recommend that he be sentenced to five years in state prison.

In that case, the undercover detective allegedly had arranged to buy two kilograms of black tar heroin from Corona-Sanchez and Madrigal-Mejia at the house for a price of $65,000 per kilo.

However, when Madrigal-Mejia and Corona-Sanchez allegedly showed the undercover detective the heroin, the detective signaled members of the State Police TEAMS Unit to make arrests and execute a search warrant at the house.

Mendez, who allegedly had supplied the two kilograms of heroin, was arrested in a vehicle outside the house.

Esqueda was arrested in his bedroom, where investigators found a quantity of cocaine.

Investigators found other amounts of cocaine, including some that were packaged for distribution, in the kitchen and in hall closets.

They also found a digital scale, a heat sealer and packaging materials in a common area of the house.

Madrigal-Mejia and Corona-Sanchez were also charged with first-degree distribution of methamphetamine in an incident on May 2 of this year, in which an undercover detective purchased a half-kilogram of crystal meth outside a convenience store on Route 130 in Florence.

The drugs were allegedly delivered to the detective by an unnamed co-conspirator, who allegedly delivered the purchase price of $15,000 to Madrigal-Mejia and Corona-Sanchez, who were parked nearby.

Their sentencing is scheduled for April 15.

The arrests were made following an undercover investigation dubbed “Operation: Speed Racer,” and conducted by the New Jersey State Police and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, with assistance from the New Jersey Division of Criminal Justice, Cape May County Prosecutor’s Office, Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office and Ewing Township Police Department.

The attached image of Juan Gutierrez-Valencia was provided by the Attorney General’s Office