Freehold Man Sentenced For Role In Bayshore Heroin Ring

MONMOUTH COUNTY - A Freehold resident was one of two New Jersey men sentenced Wednesday for their roles in a heroin and cocaine trafficking ring in the Bayshore area of Monmouth and Middlesex counties.

The bust was completed through interception of telephone calls and text messages as well as court-authorized wiretaps, controlled purchases of heroin and cocaine, the use of confidential sources of information and other investigative techniques, prosecutors said.

Brian Hall, 49, of Freehold, was sentenced to eight months of home confinement and three years of probation after he previously pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring to distribute and possession with intent to distribute heroin.

Daniel McHugh, 51, of Sayreville, was sentenced to 90 months in prison. McHugh previously pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute 100 grams or more of heroin. McHugh also admitted to conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute a quantity of cocaine and possessing with intent to distribute a quantity of crack cocaine.

U.S. District Judge Brian R. Martinotti imposed both sentences today in Trenton federal court.

The feds say the ring's main suppliers were based in Pennsylvania, and they sold the product to two men in Perth Amboy. From there, the narcotics were distributed to be sold in towns such as Cliffwood, Keansburg, Old Bridge, Belford and Union Beach.

According to court documents, between May 2017 to November 2018, McHugh, Hall, and others engaged in a narcotics conspiracy that operated in the Raritan Bayshore region of Middlesex and Monmouth counties.

Law enforcement learned that McHugh regularly obtained heroin and cocaine for further distribution from co-defendant Guy Jackson. Some of the heroin distributed by the conspiracy contained fentanyl, a deadly synthetic opioid that is 80 to 100 times more potent than morphine.

When McHugh was arrested, law enforcement officers recovered quantities of heroin, cocaine, and crack cocaine intended for distribution, as well as $3,800 in cash that McHugh agreed to give up.

In addition to the prison terms, Judge Martinotti sentenced McHugh to four years of supervised release and ordered a forfeiture of $3,800.

The sentencings come as part of a coordinated takedown in November 2018 where 15 defendants - including McHugh and Hall - were charged in a federal criminal complaint with conspiracy to distribute heroin and cocaine. Law enforcement agencies from Union Beach, Matawan, Aberdeen, Holmdel, Hazlet, Keansburg and Highlands were instrumental in the investigation and the arrests, prosecutors said.

Thirteen defendants have since pleaded guilty.
Supplier Gregory Gillens was sentenced on Sept. 8, 2020, to 10 years in prison for his role in the conspiracy. Defendant Deberal Rogers has been indicted. Lead defendant and alleged ring leader Guy Jackson is scheduled to be sentenced on June 22, 2021.

Those arrested in the ring include:

• Guy Jackson, 46, of Effort, Pennsylvania
• Gregory Gillens, 46, of Hillside, New Jersey
• Lashawn Mealing, 47, of Effort, Pennsylvania
• Richard Gethers, 43, of Perth Amboy, New Jersey
• Deberal Rogers, 46, of Perth Amboy, New Jersey
• Krystal Cordoba, 33, of Elizabeth, New Jersey
• Daniel Alfano, 44, of Keansburg, New Jersey
• Daniel McHugh, 48, of Sayreville, New Jersey
• Tyler Scarangello, 33, of Belford, New Jersey
• David Nagy, 41, of Old Bridge, New Jersey
• Christy Dube, 33, of Cliffwood, New Jersey
• George Holiday, Sr., 47, of Union Beach, New Jersey
• Daryl Jackson, 45, of Old Bridge, New Jersey
• Shavar Williams, 43, of Cliffwood, New Jersey
• Brian Hall, 47, of Freehold, New Jersey