|
TRENTON
- Attorney General Anne Milgram and Criminal
Justice Director Gregory A. Paw announced
that a juvenile was sentenced to state prison
as an adult today for dealing drugs for
the Nine Trey Headbusta street gang, a violent
set of the Bloods that has been dealing
large quantities of crack cocaine and heroin
in Camden’s Broadway Avenue business
district.
According
to Director Paw, Ezequiel Rivera, 17, of
Camden, was sentenced to five years in state
prison by Superior Court Judge Samuel D.
Natal in Camden County. On Feb. 26, Rivera
and a second juvenile, Ali Williams, 17,
of Camden, were waived to adult status and
pleaded guilty to second-degree racketeering
before Judge Natal. Williams is scheduled
to be sentenced on May 2. The state will
recommend that Williams also be sentenced
to five years in prison.
In
pleading guilty, Williams and Rivera admitted
that they were associates of the Nine Trey
Head Busta set and sold drugs for the gang.
Deputy Attorneys General Jill S. Mayer and
Christopher St. John are prosecuting the
cases.
“By
prosecuting these juveniles as adults, we
send a message that we will not tolerate
this culture of youth violence and gang
activity,” said Attorney General Milgram.
The
two juveniles were arrested on Jan. 11 along
with four adult gang members. Four other
gang members were arrested in November.
The defendants, all Camden residents, were
arrested as a result of a six-month joint
investigation conducted by the Division
of Criminal Justice and the High-Intensity
Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Joint Camden
Task Force. The Nine Trey Headbusta set,
which has direct ties to Philadelphia, has
utilized violence and intimidation to protect
its turf in Camden, including Broadway Avenue
and Stevens and Benson Streets.
Three
men, Juan Vargas, 24, Nathaniel Clay, 30,
and Dionicio Adams, 26, were arrested on
Nov. 29 on a charge of conspiracy to commit
murder, a first-degree offense, as a result
of the investigation. No details of the
alleged murder plot are being released.
Javiel Ford, 20, was arrested on Nov. 30
on drug charges. On Jan. 11, new charges
were filed against those defendants. Vargas,
an alleged leader of the Headbusta set,
was charged with leading a narcotics trafficking
network and racketeering, both first-degree
offenses. Clay, Adams and Ford were also
charged with first-degree racketeering,
along with four of the new arrestees.
A
full list of defendants and charges can
be found in this January
14 press release posted on the Attorney
General’s Web site.
The
charges filed against the remaining defendants
are merely accusations and the defendants
are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
Attorney
General Milgram credited Sgt. Richard M.
Carlin and Deputy Attorneys General Mayer
and St. John for coordinating the investigation
for the New Jersey Division of Criminal
Justice - Gangs & Organized Crime Bureau.
She also credited the following members
of the HIDTA Joint Camden Task Force for
conducting and assisting in the investigation:
•
Camden County Prosecutor’s Office
• Camden City Police Department
• Camden County Sheriffs Department
• New Jersey State Police
• U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration
• Federal Bureau of Investigation
• U.S. Marshals Service
• U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
Municipal Task Force Alliance
• National Guard
# # # |
