14 Busted, Fatal ODs In 2 Big Heroin, Fentanyl Rings In NJ

NEW JERSEY – Fourteen people were indicted in two big New Jersey heroin and fentanyl busts this week, authorities said, one of which targeted a ring that was responsible for several fatal overdoses.

A state grand jury indicted nine men in an investigation that targeted a large-scale cocaine distribution ring in New Jersey. During the investigation, authorities also dismantled a drug mill, where they seized heroin and fentanyl, as well as assault rifles and illegal large capacity magazines, Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal announced on Friday.

A grand jury also returned an indictment against five members of a separate drug-trafficking organization for conspiring to distribute significant amounts of narcotics through an open-air drug market, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced on Thursday.

Some of the heroin that was purchased from that organization bore the same stamp as drugs found at the sites of drug overdoses in South Jersey, including two fatal overdoses, according to the release.

The indicted defendants in that case include: Juan Figueroa, 22; Christopher Vasquez, 29; Jose Diaz, 27; and Jose Agron, 26, all of Camden; and Dwight Williams, 28, of Lumberton, according to a press release from Carpenito's office.

The indictment charges each defendant with participating in a drug trafficking conspiracy that involved at least one kilogram of a mixture and substance containing heroin; at least 280 grams of a mixture and substance containing crack cocaine; and large amounts of cocaine and fentanyl, according to the release.

Grewal's indictment is the result of an eight-month investigation by the Division of Criminal Justice's Gangs & Organized Crime Bureau that led to arrests of a dozen defendants in late 2017, according to an OAG release.

The Division of Criminal Justice obtained an indictment charging Terrel Goodwin, 30, of Vineland, with first-degree promoting organized street crime. Goodwin, who allegedly was a major supplier of cocaine, is also charged with first-degree distribution of cocaine, along with George Smith, 58, of Bridgeton, according to the release.

Goodwin, Smith, and six other men are charged with second-degree conspiracy. Those six other men allegedly acted as “runners” for Goodwin, distributing cocaine to street-level dealers.

Alexander Torres, 33, of Vineland was arrested when detectives of the state Gangs & Organized Crime Bureau executed a search warrant during the investigation at his basement apartment on North Myrtle Street, where they seized six guns, including two illegal assault rifles, and four illegal large capacity magazines, according to the release.

They also seized nearly 100 grams of heroin mixed with fentanyl, nearly a kilogram of powder dibutylone (“bath salts”), more than 900 dibutylone pills, and drug milling equipment, including grinders, blenders, mixing bowls, respirator masks, scales and a pill press, according to the release.

Torres is charged with first-degree maintaining a narcotics production facility, as well as drug and weapons offenses, including possession of a weapon as a convicted felon, possession of firearms during commission of a drug crime, and possession of assault rifles and large-capacity magazines.

“The drugs and guns seized in this investigation speak to the danger this criminal ring posed to residents in the communities where they operated,” said Grewal. “By dismantling this network and filing first-degree charges against the lead defendants, we took important steps to promote safety and security in South Jersey.”

The following is a full list of the defendants charged in the indictment returned on Firday:

1. Terrell Goodwin, 30, of Vineland
2. George Smith, 58, of Bridgeton
3. Alexander Torres, 33, of Vineland
4. Stephen Fortune, 30, of Bridgeton
5. Joshua Rivera, 21, of Bridgeton
6. Wesley Bowleg, 46, of Bridgeton
7. Eric White, 31, Vineland
8. Kyle Mills, 33, of Bridgeton
9. Joseph Flores, 26, of Vineland

In the Carpenito case, the FBI used surveillance, confidential informants, recordings, multiple controlled drug purchases, a GPS vehicle tracker, search warrants of several different locations, and several court-authorized wiretaps to uncover the operations of a drug trafficking organization that dealt heroin, crack cocaine, cocaine, and fentanyl primarily in South Jersey, according to the release.

The organization’s activities were concentrated on the 400-500 blocks of Pine Street of Camden, where members distributed drugs to customers who approached on foot and in vehicles. The organization also supplied drugs elsewhere, including in and around the residences of some of its members, according to the release.

Members of the organization previously had conducted drug trafficking activities in and around the 1900 block of Filmore Street. After a fatal, drug-related shooting in that area in April 2017, local law enforcement increased their presence in the area and the drug-trafficking activities ultimately shifted to the area around Pine Street, according to the release.

The investigation revealed that the organization’s members worked together in a multi-layered organization to supply drugs. The main role of Ronnie Lopez – one of the leaders of the organization – was to obtain bulk quantities of illegal drugs for sale to customers, according to the release.

The organization also had distributors and packagers, such as Carlos Perez and Nelson Salcedo, whose main roles were to obtain drugs from Lopez and others and to prepare and package the drugs for distribution downstream. The organization used “runners,” or managers, like Juan Figueroa and Paul Salcedo, according to the release.

These individuals obtained drugs from higher-level distributors and packagers within the organization and then provided those drugs downstream to shift managers like Jose Diaz and Christopher Vazquez. “Runners” also collected drug proceeds from lower-level shift managers and provided that money to higher-level members of the organization, such as Lopez, according to the release.

Shift managers, in turn, supervised the organization’s set workers, including Jose Agron, Dwight Williams, Elisa Rivera, Jasmin Velez, Kaliel Johnson, William Carrillo, Meylin Troncoso, Waldemar Garcia, Naeem Sadler, Jameel Byng, Ramon Velez and David Velez. These set workers sold drugs directly to customers and passed the proceeds up the organizational hierarchy, according to the release.

Multiple communications intercepted by wiretaps reflected that members of the organization owned guns and were prepared to use them. In November 2018, law enforcement officers recovered firearms during the execution of several search warrants on locations related to the drug-trafficking organization.

Juan Figueroa currently is facing several charges in Camden County Superior Court regarding the Aug. 7, 2018, shooting of two law enforcement officers, who were in an unmarked car and wearing plain clothes after having conducted surveillance earlier in the day on members of the organization, according to the release.