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TRENTON
– Attorney General Paula T. Dow and
Criminal Justice Director Stephen J. Taylor
announced that the man who led drug trafficking
operations for the Nine Trey Headbustas
set of the Bloods in Camden was sentenced
to prison today for conspiring to murder
a gang member.
According
to Director Taylor, Juan Vargas, 27, of
Philadelphia, the street commander of the
Nine Trey Headbustas in Camden, was sentenced
to 14 years in state prison by Superior
Court Judge Samuel D. Natal in Camden County.
The sentence includes nearly 12 years of
parole ineligibility under the No Early
Release Act.
Vargas
and Dionicio Adams, 29, of Camden, pleaded
guilty on June 7 to first-degree conspiracy
to commit murder. In pleading guilty, the
men admitted that they plotted to murder
another member of the gang, Nathaniel Clay.
Investigators learned of the planned shooting
and arrested the men before it was carried
out.
Adams
is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 1.
The state will recommend that Adams be sentenced
to 10 to 12 years in state prison, of which
85 percent would have to be served without
possibility of parole under the No Early
Release Act.
Deputy
Attorney General Jill S. Mayer took the
guilty pleas for the Division of Criminal
Justice Gangs & Organized Crime Bureau
and represented the state at today’s
sentencing.
Vargas
and Adams were indicted on July 8, 2008,
along with the gang’s top leader,
Michael Anderson, and 12 other alleged gang
members. The indictment resulted from a
joint investigation conducted by the New
Jersey Division of Criminal Justice and
the High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area
(HIDTA) Joint Camden Task Force. The Nine
Trey Headbustas set, which has direct ties
to Philadelphia, was dealing large quantities
of heroin on Broadway Avenue and on Stevens
and Benson Streets in Camden. All of the
defendants named in the indictment have
pleaded guilty except Anderson, who is incarcerated
in New Jersey State Prison in Trenton.
Anderson,
37, holds the title of “Original Original
Gangster (OOG)” or “Godfather”
of this faction of the Bloods and allegedly
exercised leadership authority from prison.
Vargas was the hands-on leader of the set’s
drug operations. Adams was one of three
“street supervisors” for the
gang. The other two, Nathaniel Clay, 32,
and Hector Archival, 22, both of Camden,
previously pleaded guilty to racketeering
charges.
Anderson
is charged with being a leader of a narcotics
trafficking network, a crime that carries
a sentence of 25 years to life in prison,
as well as conspiracy to commit murder.
The charges against him are merely accusations
and he is presumed innocent until proven
guilty.
Vargas,
Adams and Clay were arrested on Nov. 29,
2007, as a result of the investigation.
Participating agencies executed search warrants
on that date which resulted in the seizure
of approximately 500 bags of heroin, about
3 pounds of marijuana, approximately 2.5
ounces of crack cocaine, two handguns and
roughly $10,000 in cash.
Attorney
General Dow credited Sgt. Richard M. Carlin,
Deputy Attorney General Mayer and former
Deputy Attorney General Christopher St.
John for coordinating the investigation
for the New Jersey Division of Criminal
Justice Gangs & Organized Crime Bureau.
Deputy Attorney General Mayer presented
the case to the state grand jury. Attorney
General Dow also credited the following
members of the HIDTA Joint Camden Task Force
for conducting and assisting the investigation:
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Camden County Prosecutor’s Office
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Camden City Police Department
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Camden County Sheriffs Department
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New Jersey State Police
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U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration
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Federal Bureau of Investigation
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U.S. Marshals Service
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U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
Municipal Task Force Alliance
-
National Guard
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