TRENTON
– Attorney General Anne Milgram and
Criminal Justice Director Gregory A. Paw
announced that the former leader of a violent
heroin cartel in Mercer and Essex counties
with ties to the Bloods street gang was
sentenced today to life in state prison.
Due
to his prior criminal convictions, Charles
“Black” Hamilton, 37, of Irvington,
was sentenced to an extended term of imprisonment
by Superior Court Judge Maryann K. Bielamowicz
in Mercer County. He must serve a minimum
of 35 years behind bars without possibility
of parole.
Deputy
Attorney General Russell Curley of the Division
of Criminal Justice - Gangs & Organized
Crime Bureau argued, among other things,
that a maximum sentence was warranted because
of Hamilton’s leadership role in the
multi-county drug trafficking ring, the
major amounts of heroin he distributed,
and his lengthy criminal record. Hamilton’s
criminal record spans nearly 20 years and
includes 13 arrests and multiple convictions,
including a conviction for manslaughter,
at least four drug convictions and three
weapons offense convictions.
“This
dangerous drug dealer will be going to prison
for a very long time,” said Attorney
General Milgram. “Putting the leaders
of these gang-related criminal enterprises
behind bars is the best way to disrupt the
violence, drug dealing and gun trafficking
that is their stock in trade.”
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.
Hamilton
was sentenced in connection with his conviction
on Oct. 31, 2006 of first-degree charges
of conspiracy, racketeering and heroin distribution
following a three-week jury trial. He also
was found guilty of 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.
Former Deputy Attorney General Frank Gennaro
tried the case before Judge Bielamowicz.
On
his conviction for heroin distribution,
Hamilton was sentenced to a life sentence
with a 25-year period of parole ineligibility.
Additionally Hamilton was sentenced on his
conviction for racketeering to a term of
15 years with a five-year period of parole
ineligibility, to be served consecutively
to his life sentence. On his three weapons
possession convictions, Hamilton was sentenced
to a consecutive term of 10 years with a
five-year period of parole ineligibility.
Finally, on his conviction for third-degree
money laundering, Hamilton was sentenced
to a consecutive five year sentence.
Hamilton
was free on bail during his trial and failed
to appear in court after the jury began
deliberations. He was a fugitive for nearly
11 months until his arrest Sept. 19 in Georgia
by U.S. Marshals. Hamilton was indicted
on Dec. 20 on a charge of third-degree bail
jumping in connection with his flight during
the trial. That charge is pending.
“We will continue to partner with
other law enforcement agencies and use every
weapon in our investigative arsenal to target
gang-related drug dealing and violence,”
said Director Paw.
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.
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.
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. Brian G. Kiely, formerly
a State Investigator with the Division of
Criminal Justice - Major Narcotics Bureau
and now a Detective with the Mercer County
Prosecutor’s Office, coordinated the
investigation.
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