Final Conspirator Pleads Guilty In Mercer County Drug Ring: USAO

All 10 people involved in a large scale drug ring to sell hundreds of grams of heroin in the Trenton area have now admitted their guilt, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced on Monday. Ileana Sanchez, a/k/a “Lilly,” a/k/a “Mami,” 34, of Trenton, pleaded guilty to Count One of an indictment charging her with conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 100 grams or more of heroin.

Sanchez was among 10 people charged with conspiracy to distribute heroin as part of the drug trafficking organization known as the "Abdullah DTO" operating out of Trenton in December 2016. It was labeled so after the alleged leader of the organization, Israel Abdullah. Sanchez was the final holdout to plead guilty in the case.

The organization operated from June 2015 until December 2016, according to documents filed in the case and statements made in court.

Police allege Abdullah was in charge of obtaining significant quantities of heroin from multiple suppliers, including Sanchez and Jose Joaquin Torres-Mezquita, 30, of Philadelphia.

Through the authorized interception of telephone calls and text messages, controlled purchases of heroin, the use of confidential sources of information, and other investigative means, law enforcement say they learned that Ishmael Abdullah was a leader of the group, according to documents filed in the case and statements made in court. He was in charge of obtaining significant quantities of heroin from multiple suppliers, authorities said.

Ishmael Abdullah and 24-year-old Keith Hunter, of Trenton, coordinated the organization's distribution of heroin to the other conspirators, who sold and stored the drugs, according to authorities. Members of the Abdullah DTO spoke in code and used stash houses, cars, and temporary prepaid phones to avoid detection by law enforcement, authorities said. In connection with their narcotics distribution, authorities said members of the Abdullah DTO also maintained joint access to firearms.

Authorities allege members of the Abdullah DTO sold prepackaged "bricks" of heroin, which contained approximately one gram, and "bundles" of heroin, which contained approximately one-fifth of a gram, to various other distributors, sub-dealers, and end users in Trenton and surrounding areas.

Law enforcement officials say they captured discussions about drug quality, consumer satisfaction, pricing, quantity, and the nature of the organization's drug distribution business, including the storage and accessibility of firearms, on calls and text messages.

Sanchez faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison, a maximum potential sentence of 40 years in prison and a $5 million fine. Sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 24.

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