Jefferson Man Ran Mail-Order Designer Drug Business: NJ AG

JEFFERSON, NJ — A Jefferson man pleaded guilty to his role in a mail-order designer drug business, New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal announced on Thursday.

Christopher Castelluzzo, 33, of Lake Hopatcong, pled guilty to one charge of leading a narcotics trafficking network. He faces up to 21 years in prison when he is sentenced later this year.

Alongside Luke A. Atwell, 37, of Hamilton, Castelluzzo sold designer drugs and cocaine online and sent them to buys through the mail, Grewal. The ring was discovered during an investigation into white supremacist groups in Atlantic City.

Castelluzzo was the leader who formed the ring, Grewal said, while other high-level members took care of the business side of the ring.

During a search warrant execution, law enforcement found a quarter of a million dollars in cash, diamond jewelry, gold bars, another quarter kilogram of cocaine, numerous rounds of ammunition, firearm silencers, cocaine testing, cutting and packaging materials, and related equipment, Grewal said.

The two ringleaders were charged alongside 11 other ring members as a part of "Operation Skin Deep."

“This sentence sends a loud and clear message to narcotics traffickers that if you choose to profit by spreading addiction in New Jersey and fueling street-level crime with your drugs, we will come after you and you will face hard time,” said Attorney General Grewal. “I commend the detectives and prosecutors who pursued all the leads to bring these defendants to justice, beginning with drug sales in parking lots and back rooms in Atlantic City and ultimately exposing a statewide drug network that relied on the internet and mail delivery to distribute its corrosive wares.”

Image via NJ AG, Shutterstock