| TRENTON
– Attorney General Stuart Rabner and
Criminal Justice Director Gregory A. Paw
announced that the leader of a violent heroin
cartel in Mercer and Essex counties with
ties to the Bloods street gang was convicted
today of first-degree charges of conspiracy,
racketeering and drug distribution following
a three-week jury trial.
The
jury also found Charles “Black”
Hamilton, 36, of Irvington, guilty on three
second-degree counts of possession of a
gun during commission of a crime, namely
heroin distribution, and a third-degree
charge of money laundering. Deputy Attorney
General Frank Gennaro of the Division of
Criminal Justice - Major Narcotics Bureau
prosecuted the case before Superior Court
Judge Maryann K. Bielamowicz in Mercer County.
Due
to his prior criminal convictions, Hamilton
faces a sentence of 20 years to life in
prison on the first degree charges, with
additional consecutive time in prison of
up to 10 years on the weapons charges.
“This
drug kingpin will be going to prison for
a long time,” said Attorney General
Rabner. “We will continue to target
gang-related drug and gun trafficking with
prosecutions such as this, which has dismantled
the leadership of a violent heroin cartel.”
“We
have stepped up the fight against violent
street gangs in New Jersey, increasing the
personnel and resources dedicated to this
effort in the Division of Criminal Justice,”
said Director Paw. “We look forward
to obtaining more convictions like this,
in partnership with law enforcement at all
levels.”
Hamilton’s
conviction resulted from an investigation
called “Operation Golden Triangle,”
which was coordinated by the Division of
Criminal Justice with the assistance of
the Trenton Police Department and the Mercer
County Prosecutor’s Office. Operation
Golden Triangle targeted the leaders of
the drug cartel, along with middle managers
and street-level dealers selling heroin
and other illegal narcotics in Trenton,
the surrounding area of Mercer County and
Essex County. At the time of Hamilton’s
arrest in 2004, the cartel allegedly controlled
some 75 percent of the heroin trade in Trenton
as well as a substantial portion of the
statewide heroin market.
It
is alleged that the drug cartel obtained
large quantities of street-packaged heroin
in the form of bricks from sources in northern
New Jersey. The bricks of heroin, comprising
bundles of individual doses, would be broken
up for street-level distribution in the
Trenton area. It is estimated that some
20,000 doses were distributed on the streets
of Trenton in any given week.
On
Sept. 1, Judge Bielamowicz sentenced another
member of the heroin cartel, Robert Cashwell,
34, of Elizabeth, to 10 years in state prison
with 42 months of parole ineligibility.
Cashwell pleaded guilty on March 3 to a
charge of first-degree distribution of heroin
filed by the Division of Criminal Justice.
In addition, on Aug. 11, Judge Bielamowicz
sentenced Akeem Blue, 22, of Trenton, to
17 years in state prison with eight years
of parole ineligibility. Blue, an alleged
wholesaler for the heroin cartel, pleaded
guilty on April 14 to a charge of possession
of heroin with intent to distribute filed
by the Division of Criminal Justice. Blue
was sentenced to 10 years on that charge,
and seven years on charges filed by the
Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office.
Operation
Golden Triangle received major support and
manpower resources from the Trenton Police
Department, Mercer County Prosecutor’s
Office, the New Jersey Air National Guard,
the Pennsylvania State Police and the Alabama
Air National Guard. Additional investigative
support was provided by the Mercer County
Sheriff’s Office, Essex County Sheriff’s
Office, Union County Prosecutor’s
Office, Essex County Prosecutor’s
Office, Monmouth County Prosecutor’s
Office, Middlesex County Prosecutor’s
Office, Hudson County Prosecutor’s
Office, New Jersey State Police T.E.A.M.S.
Unit, Ewing Police Department, the New Jersey
Division of Taxation and the Division of
Criminal Justice High Entry Risk Team, the
Financial Crimes Bureau, and the Civil Remedies
and Forfeiture Unit.
Deputy
Attorneys General Dianne DiGiamber Deal
and Andrew Butchko and Supervising Deputy
Attorney General John Corson from the Division
of Criminal Justice - Major Narcotics Bureau
prepared search and arrest warrants and
presented cases to the state grand jury
in connection with Operation Golden Triangle.
State Investigator Brian G. Kiely, formerly
of the Division of Criminal Justice - Major
Narcotics Bureau and now with the Mercer
County Prosecutor’s Office, coordinated
the investigation.
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