21 Busted In Large Scale South Jersey Drug Ring: Police

PAULSBORO, NJ — Twenty-one people from Gloucester and Salem counties have been arrested in connection with an extensive drug trafficking network based in Paulsboro, the Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office announced on Wednesday. Additionally, detectives said they seized more than 400 grams of cocaine, 200 grams of crystal methamphetamine, 120 grams of heroin, 356 Percocet pills, 50 grams of marijuana, two handguns, a sawed-off shotgun and $39,000 in cash during multiple searches that took place on Monday.

The suspected heroin was capable of producing over 3,000 individual wax folds, typically used for selling the narcotic on the streets, according to the prosecutor’s office. The heroin is being analyzed by the New Jersey State Police Laboratory for the presence of fentanyl, which now plays a large and complex role in the carnage of the opioid crisis.

The search warrants and arrests marked the conclusion of an investigation that began last fall. It centered on the area of Spruce and Adams Streets in Paulsboro.

Duane Johns, 31, of Paulsboro, was identified by police as the leader of the drug ring. Johns has been charged with being a leader of a narcotics trafficking network, distribution of cocaine and related offenses.

His source for receiving the cocaine was identified by police as 35-year-old Darnell Samuels, of Wilmington, DE. Samuels has been charged with first-degree possession and distribution of cocaine and methamphetamine in addition to other drug-related offences.

Samuels was previously arrested in connection with a fatal shooting that took place in Paulsboro in 2016. That matter remains unresolved. Read more here: Man Surrenders After Being Charged In Fatal Shooting In South Jersey

Police determined that Samuels was receiving the cocaine from Texas and transporting it to Paulsboro. Johns’ cousins, Steven and James Johns and Shovanha Myers, were also involved in the drug trafficking operation, police said.

“This organization’s illegal activities created direct harm for the local community and had regional impact as well,” Gloucester County Prosecutor Charles A. Fiore said.

The following suspects have been identified and charged as members of the drug trafficking network targeted by the investigation, dubbed “Operation Red Raider:”

• Keenan B. Cheeks, 27, of Salem, was charged with distribution of heroin, possession of heroin and conspiracy;
• Orlando Williams, 35, of Paulsboro, was charged with distribution of heroin, possession of heroin and conspiracy;
• Trynell T. Foster, 26, of Paulsboro, was charged with distribution of heroin, possession of heroin and conspiracy;
• Leonard Mears, 50, of Paulsboro, was charged with possession of prescription legend drugs and possession of drug paraphernalia;
• Nicole Moore, 45, of Paulsboro, was charged with possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia;
• Wanda Martin, 43, of Paulsboro, was charged with unlawful possession of prohibited weapons and devices, being a sawed-off shotgun;
• Steven Johns, 28, of Paulsboro, was charged with conspiracy;
• William Hodges, 37, of Woodbury, was charged with conspiracy;
• Robert Madden, 25, of Paulsboro, was charged with distribution of heroin, possession of heroin and conspiracy;
• Thomas Gray, 31, of Paulsboro, was charged with conspiracy;
• Brandon Carr, 34, of Paulsboro, was charged with unlawful possession of a weapon (handgun), certain persons not to have a weapon, possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia;
• Damien Mears, 45, of Paulsboro, was charged with distribution of heroin, possession of heroin, possession of marijuana and conspiracy;
• James Johns, 26, of Paulsboro, was charged with conspiracy;
• Shamar Gaines, 30, of Glassboro, was charged with distribution of cocaine, possession of cocaine and conspiracy;
• Samar Khalid, 24, of Penns Grove, was charged with distribution of heroin, possession of heroin and conspiracy;
• Douglas Eli, 43, of Deptford, was charged with conspiracy;
• Anthony Kille, 19, of Penns Grove, was charged with distribution of heroin, possession of heroin and conspiracy;
• Shovanha Myers, 30, of Paulsboro, was charged with conspiracy; and
• Virginia Campbell, 56, of Paulsboro, was charged with conspiracy.
  

“Gloucester County and its residents have felt the devastating and staggering impact of the Opioid Crisis and the distribution and use of illegal drugs,” Fiore said. “ Since January 1, 2018, there have been 49 fatal opioid overdoses in Gloucester County, compared to 69 for all of 2017. “If not for our use of Narcan and other intervention strategies with key social service and health partners, there is no doubt that number would be much greater. One fatal overdose is too many. Every overdose, every story of addiction, ripples through the community.”

The Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office’s Gangs, Guns and Narcotics Task Force, Office of the New Jersey Attorney General, New Jersey Division of Criminal Justice, New Jersey State Police Trafficking South Unit and the federal Drug Enforcement Administration’s Camden Resident Office all participated in this operation.

Additional agencies directly supporting this operation included the United States Marshal’s Service Criminal Gang Unit, Paulsboro Police Department, Westville Police Department, Pitman Police Department, New Jersey State Police Real Time Crime Center South, West Deptford Police Department, Deptford Police Department, Greenwich Police Department, East Greenwich Police Department, Monroe Township Police Department, Mantua Police Department, Washington Township Police Department, Glassboro Police Department, Clayton Police Department, New Jersey State Police Fugitive Unit, New Jersey State Parole, Cumberland County Prosecutor’s Office, Camden County Prosecutor’s Office, Gloucester County Sherriff’s Department, Gloucester County Department of Corrections, the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives ( ATF), the Gloucester County Special Weapons and Tactics unit (SWAT), State Police Teams Unit, Camden County SWAT and DEA SRT.

Patch file photo