Crime & Safety
Alleged Crime Family Pair From Toms River Face Cocaine Charges
Cocaine and a handgun were seized; Mario Galli III and Jason Vella, alleged DeCavalcante members, were charged, federal authorities said..
TOMS RIVER, NJ — A pair of Toms River men who federal authorities allege are members of an organized crime family are facing cocaine distribution charges, the U.S. attorney's office announced Wednesday.
Mario Galli III, 27, and Jason Vella, 37, both of Toms River, each have been charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute cocaine. Galli also is charged with one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito said.
The two are alleged to be associate members of the DeCavalcante crime family, authorities said.
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Carpenito's office said investigators from the Ocean County prosecutor's office executed search warrants at the homes of both Galli and Vella on Sept. 19 and seized in excess of 150 grams of cocaine and drug paraphernalia, including digital scales, glassine envelopes, a money counter, baking soda, grinders, and $2,295 in cash.
Authorities said they also seized an FEG 9mm Model PGK-9HP gun loaded with 12 rounds of ammunition from Galli's home. At the time, Galli was on supervised release from a 2016 federal conviction for conspiracy to distribute in excess of 500 grams of cocaine.
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The charge of possession of cocaine with intent to distribute carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine if Vella and Galli are convicted. The count of being a felon in possession of a firearm carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine if Galli is convicted, and the count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison, which must be served consecutively to any sentence on the drug count and a $250,000 fine.
Carpenito credited the members of the FBI’s Organized Crime Task Force under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Gregory W. Ehrie in Newark; and investigators from the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer, with the investigation leading to the charges.
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