Drug Dealer From Mercer Co. Gets 19 Years Prison Sentence: Officials

MERCER COUNTY, NJ — A man from Mercer County was sentenced to 19 years in prison for his role as the leader of a drug trafficking conspiracy, U.S. attorney Phillip R. Sellinger said.

Jakir Taylor, aka “Jak,” 32, of Trenton distributed more than one kilogram of heroin in Trenton and the surrounding area, Sellinger said. In addition to the prison term, Taylor was also sentenced to five years of supervised release.

Taylor previously pleaded guilty before Chief U.S. District Judge Freda L. Wolfson to charges of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute one kilogram or more of heroin and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

From October 2017 to October 2018, Taylor and others engaged in a large narcotics conspiracy that operated in the areas of Martin Luther King Boulevard, Sanford Street, Middle Rose Street, Southard Street, Hoffman Avenue, and Coolidge Avenue in Trenton, according to court documents.

Taylor and Jerome Roberts obtained regular supplies of hundreds of “bricks” of heroin from David Antonio, whom they referred to as “Papi,” according to court records.

Taylor and Roberts agreed to obtain from Antonio a “motherlode” supply of as many as 1,500 bricks – approximately 1.5 kilograms of heroin – in a single delivery, Sellinger said. According to court documents, Taylor said that he intended to “flood the streets” of Trenton with this large supply. He also admitted that he and his conspirators possessed at least one firearm to assist his operations, and on multiple occasions, actively sought to obtain additional firearms from other sources, authorities said.

On Oct. 25, 2018, law enforcement arrested Taylor, Roberts, Antonio, and other defendants, and recovered more than 1.4 kilograms of heroin from Antonio’s residence, Sellinger said.

In October 2018, Taylor, and 25 others were charged with conspiracy to distribute heroin. On Apr. 11, 2019, a grand jury returned a nine-count superseding indictment charging Taylor and eight others with conspiracy to distribute one kilogram or more of heroin and various other drug and firearm offenses.

Twenty-three of the 26 defendants charged in the complaint have pleaded guilty. The remaining three were convicted after trial in October 2021.

Have a correction or news tip? Email sarah.salvadore@patch.com