| TRENTON – Acting Attorney General John J. Hoffman announced that a drug dealer who supplied cocaine to a major narcotics network in Camden pleaded guilty today to a conspiracy charge. Twenty defendants now face state prison sentences as a result of Operation Jumpstart, a joint investigation involving state, county, local and federal authorities.
Christian Serrano, 33, of Philadelphia, pleaded guilty today to a charge of second-degree conspiracy to distribute cocaine before Superior Court Judge John T. Kelley in Camden. The state will recommend that he be sentenced to seven years in state prison. Serrano is the final defendant to plead guilty of 23 defendants arrested in Operation Jumpstart. Sentencing for Serrano is scheduled for Aug. 29.
Operation Jumpstart targeted a drug network led by Luis Burgos, 35, of Camden, that was distributing cocaine in the Camden area. Burgos was having large quantities of cocaine transported from Puerto Rico to Newark, N.J., and New York on commercial airlines for distribution in Camden. Burgos pleaded guilty to first-degree racketeering and was sentenced on June 7, 2013 to 10 years in state prison, including 8 ½ years of parole ineligibility. As a result of the investigation, Reynel Delvalle, 37, of Camden, who had his own drug “set” that distributed heroin and cocaine in Camden, and Anthony Smith, 34, of Camden, a large-scale heroin dealer, also pleaded guilty to first-degree racketeering. Delvalle was sentenced 14 years in state prison, including 12 years of parole ineligibility, and Smith was sentenced to 10 years in prison, including 8 ½ years of parole ineligibility. Sixteen other defendants were sentenced to state prison, with 13 of them receiving sentences ranging from six to eight years.
Deputy Attorney General Kristen Harberg, Deputy Chief of the Division of Criminal Justice Gangs & Organized Crime Bureau, prosecuted the defendants for the Attorney General’s Office.
“We put 20 members of this narcotics trafficking network behind bars, including three large-scale heroin and cocaine suppliers who were sentenced to a decade or more in prison,” said Acting Attorney General Hoffman. “By taking these drug dealers off the streets of Camden and stopping their major supply line of drugs, we have made the community safer.”
“Drug dealing and the related turf wars between rival gangs and drug sets are the catalysts for much of the gun violence in Camden and our other urban centers,” said Director Elie Honig of the Division of Criminal Justice. “By working together across all levels of law enforcement to target major drug rings, we are leveraging our resources to reduce violence and protect the public.”
Operation Jumpstart was conducted by the New Jersey State Police, the Division of Criminal Justice, the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office, the Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office, the New Jersey Division of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, and other members of the High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Joint Camden Task Force, including the Camden City Police Department, the Camden County Sheriff’s Office, the U.S. Marshals Service, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Cherry Hill Police Department, the Evesham Police Department, the Woodbury Police Department and the Air National Guard.
A total of 28 defendants were indicted in December 2011 by the Division of Criminal Justice. One defendant, Gabriel Crespo, 27, was fatally shot in May 2013 in Camden, and four defendants remain fugitives. The following is a full list of the defendants:
- Reynel Delvalle, 37, of Camden, pleaded guilty on Dec. 5, 2012 to first-degree racketeering. He was sentenced on April 5, 2013 to 14 years in prison, including 12 years without parole.
- Luis Burgos, 35, of Camden, pleaded guilty on April 29, 2013 to first-degree racketeering. He was sentenced on June 7, 2013 to 10 years in prison, including 8 ½ years without parole.
- Anthony Smith, 34, of Camden, pleaded guilty on March 1, 2013 to first-degree racketeering. He was sentenced on April 19, 2013 to 10 years in prison, including 8 ½ years without parole.
- Carlton Riley, Jr., 23, of Camden, pleaded guilty on March 2, 2012 to second-degree racketeering and third-degree distribution of narcotics in a school zone. He was sentenced on April 13, 2012 to eight years in prison, including four years without parole.
- Jonathan DeJesus, 32, of Clementon, pleaded guilty on Dec. 11, 2012 to second-degree money laundering and fourth-degree possession of child pornography. He was sentenced on March 1, 2013 to eight years in prison.
- Christopher Ferreras, 33, of Philadelphia, pleaded guilty on Sept. 28, 2012 to second-degree conspiracy to distribute narcotics. He was sentenced on Aug. 9, 2013 to eight years in prison.
- Christian Serrano, 33, of Philadelphia, pleaded guilty today to second-degree conspiracy to distribute narcotics. The state will recommend that he be sentenced to seven years in prison.
- Carlton Riley, Sr., 42, of Camden, pleaded guilty on Aug. 13, 2012 to second-degree conspiracy to distribute narcotics and third-degree distribution of narcotics in a school zone. He was sentenced on Oct. 19, 2012 to seven years in prison, including three years without parole.
- Victor Matias, 32, of Pennsauken, pleaded guilty on Dec. 17, 2012 to first-degree distribution of narcotics and second-degree conspiracy to distribute narcotics. He was sentenced on March 15, 2013 to seven years in prison, including two years without parole.
- Daniel Rolon, 39, of Camden, pleaded guilty on July 6, 2012 to second-degree conspiracy to distribute narcotics. He was sentenced on Oct. 5, 2012 to seven years in prison.
- Rashaan Coles, 34, of Camden, pleaded guilty on Sept. 7, 2012 to second-degree conspiracy to distribute narcotics. He was sentenced on Jan. 4, 2013 to seven years in prison.
- Angel Medina, 29, of Camden, pleaded guilty on Aug. 29, 2012 to second-degree conspiracy to distribute narcotics. He was sentenced on April 26, 2013 to seven years in prison.
- Rasool Jones, 37, of Camden, pleaded guilty on May 6, 2013 to second-degree money laundering. He was sentenced on June 14, 2013 to seven years in prison.
- Eric Brownlee, 34, of Camden, pleaded guilty on Jan. 16, 2014 to second-degree conspiracy to distribute narcotics. He was sentenced on Feb. 21, 2014 to seven years in prison.
- Luis Cuevas, 31, of Camden, pleaded guilty on Nov. 1, 2012 to second-degree distribution of narcotics within 500 feet of a public park. He was sentenced on Dec. 7, 2012 to six years in prison, including three years without parole.
- Angel Reyes, 48, of Camden, pleaded guilty on Aug. 17, 2012 to second-degree conspiracy to distribute narcotics and second-degree possession of a handgun during a narcotics offense. He was sentenced on March 1, 2013 to six years in prison, including three years without parole.
- Vanessa M. Lopez, 25, of Camden, pleaded guilty on Oct. 15, 2012 to second-degree conspiracy to distribute narcotics. She was sentenced on April 5, 2013 to six years in prison.
- Josh L. Vega, 25, of Camden, pleaded guilty on June 17, 2013 to third-degree distribution of narcotics. He was sentenced on July 19, 2013 to five years in prison, including three years without parole.
- Samuel Morales, 39, of Clayton, pleaded guilty on May 28, 2013 to second-degree conspiracy to commit money laundering. He was sentenced on March 28, 2014 to four years in prison.
- Joseph Thompson, 31, of Camden, pleaded guilty on May 31, 2013 to third-degree conspiracy to distribute narcotics. He was sentenced on Jan. 31, 2014 to three years in prison.
- Ashley Diaz, 24, of Camden, pleaded guilty on Dec. 3, 2012 to third-degree hindering apprehension or prosecution. She was sentenced on March 1, 2013 to three years of probation. She forfeited $40,000.
- Crystal Rojas, 23, of Camden, pleaded guilty on Dec. 3, 2012 to third-degree money laundering. She was sentenced on March 1, 2013 to three years of probation. She forfeited $23,100.
- Luis Ortiz, 35, of Pennsauken, pleaded guilty on Nov. 26, 2012 to third-degree money laundering. He was sentenced on June 7, 2013 to two years of probation. He forfeited $69,220.
- Gabriel Crespo, 27, of Camden, was murdered on May 21, 2013.
- Jose Alvarez-Ramirez, 37, of Collingswood: Fugitive.
- Juan Alvarez-Ramirez, 28, of Audubon: Fugitive.
- Ascension Delapaz, 49, of Camden: Fugitive.
- Diana Siligato-Maya of Audubon: Fugitive.
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