Galloway Man Arrested in Connection With Large Scale Drug Trafficking Ring: U.S. Attorney

Galloway, NJ -- A Galloway man was arrested Thursday morning in connection with a ring that allegedly trafficked heroin, powder cocaine and crack cocaine in the Atlantic City area, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman said.

TeJohn Cooper, 43, was arrested following a pre-dawn raid by agents and officers of the FBI, Atlantic City and Ventnor police departments.

He is charged in a superseding indictment with drug-trafficking conspiracy and using a telephone facility to further a drug-trafficking crime. His initial court appearance was scheduled for Thursday afternoon.

Five other defendants charged in the initial indictment also were charged in the superseding indictment.

Toye A. Tutis, 42, of Pleasantville, has been charged with two counts of possessing firearms and ammunition after previously having been convicted of a felony.

Jazmin S. Vega, 40, of Pleasantville, was originally charged only with money laundering conspiracy. Vega has now also has been charged with drug-trafficking conspiracy.

The other defendants include:

• Tozine N. Tiller, 40, of Absecon;
• Kabaka Atiba, 43, of Atlantic City; and
• Ivan Joel Cuellar-Naranjo, 28, of Los Angeles, California.

All six defendants were charged with one or more counts of using a telephone facility to further a drug-trafficking crime. They are allegedly members of a drug-trafficking organization that dealt in large quantities of heroin, powder cocaine, and crack cocaine in and around Atlantic City, according to documents filed in the case and statements made in court.

Six other defendants previously pleaded guilty to participating in the conspiracy:

• Ronald Douglas Byrd, 51, of Pleasantville; sentencing to be scheduled;

• Kareem Taylor, 41, of Atlantic City; sentencing scheduled for June 2;

• Talib Tiller, 43, of Mays Landing, sentencing scheduled for March 18;

• John Wellman, 41, of Somers Point, sentencing scheduled for June 2;

• Phillip Horton, 50, of Los Angeles, California, sentencing scheduled for June 2; and

• Francisco Alberto Rascon-Muracami, 22, of Obregon, Mexico, sentenced on Oct. 30, 2015, to four years, 10 months in prison, and five years of supervised release.

The conspiracy count carries a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison, a maximum potential penalty of life in prison, and a $10 million fine. The money laundering conspiracy count carries a maximum potential penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

The telephone facilitation counts each carry a maximum potential penalty of four years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

The felon-in-possession counts each carry a maximum potential penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.