The following four men pleaded guilty today before Superior Court Judge Wendel E. Daniels in Ocean County. Sentencing for the defendants is scheduled for April 15.

• Guadalupe Madrigal-Mejia, 36, of New Egypt (Plumsted Township, Ocean County), aka “Lupe,” pleaded guilty to a charge of first-degree distribution of heroin. The state will recommend that he be sentenced to 10 years in state prison.

• Elias Corona-Sanchez, 31, of North Hanover, aka “Peligro,” also pleaded guilty to a charge of first-degree distribution of heroin and will face a recommended sentence of 10 years in state prison.

• Juan Mendez, 48, of New Egypt, pleaded guilty to second-degree possession of heroin with intent to distribute. The state will recommend that he be sentenced to seven years in state prison.

• Antonio Esqueda, 34, of New Egypt, pleaded guilty to third-degree possession of cocaine with intent to distribute. The state will recommend that he be sentenced to five years in state prison.

The four men were charged in an indictment obtained by the Division of Criminal Justice Gangs & Organized Crime Bureau on Dec. 5, 2014. A fifth defendant, Juan Gutierrez-Valencia, 25, of Pemberton Township, was charged in a separate indictment with first-degree possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, conspiracy and various gun charges. He subsequently was indicted on Oct. 8, 2015, on charges including aggravated assault for allegedly striking and injuring two state troopers with a car while trying to flee from the State Police during an alleged methamphetamine transaction in Mount Laurel in July 2014. A third state trooper fired at him, grazing his arm. The charges against Guttierrez-Valencia are pending and he is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

Deputy Attorney General Julia S. Glass is prosecuting the defendants in the drug case for the Division of Criminal Justice. Detective Sgt. Erik Hoffman was case agent for the State Police Intelligence Section, Violent and Organized Crime Control Bureau South, Crime Suppression South Unit. He coordinated the investigation with agents of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration supervised by Special Agent in Charge Carl J. Kotowski of the DEA’s New Jersey Division.

“Heroin and methamphetamine are devastating drugs that claim and ruin far too many lives across New Jersey,” said Acting Attorney General Hoffman. “These defendants were major drug traffickers who helped fuel the destructive rise in addiction in our state. The State Police and DEA led an excellent undercover investigation that enabled us to secure these guilty pleas.”

“We will continue to target major narcotics suppliers through multi-agency operations like this one,” said Director Elie Honig of the New Jersey Division of Criminal Justice. “By locking up these alleged drug traffickers, we have cut off a major supply line of heroin and methamphetamine in South Jersey.”

“These defendants would stop at nothing to continue moving large quantities of meth, as evidenced by the stolen handgun we recovered and the aggravated assault on troopers allegedly committed by Gutierrez-Valencia,” said Colonel Rick Fuentes, Superintendent of the State Police. “This cooperative effort by the State Police and the U.S. DEA has shut down a significant distribution route.”

Carl J. Kotowski, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s New Jersey Division said, “Heroin and methamphetamine are two drugs that are wreaking havoc in our communities. The conviction of these individuals sends a clear message that DEA and all of our law enforcement partners will continue to work together to keep these dangerous drugs out of our neighborhoods.”

Gutierrez-Valencia was arrested on July 7, 2014 at a hotel on Fellowship Road in Mount Laurel, where he met an undercover detective who allegedly had arranged to purchase two kilograms of crystal meth from him. The undercover detective got into the vehicle driven by Gutierrez-Valencia, who allegedly showed him a black gym bag containing a large amount of methamphetamine. Once he saw the drugs, the detective got out of the car and signaled members of the State Police TEAMS Unit to arrest Gutierrez-Valencia. Gutierrez-Valencia allegedly tried to flee, striking and injuring the two state troopers. Gutierrez-Valencia suffered a non-fatal gunshot wound to his arm when one trooper fired at him. Investigators arrested Gutierrez-Valencia and executed a search warrant for the vehicle, seizing two kilograms of methamphetamine and a stolen 9mm handgun.

The other four defendants were arrested on July 8, 2014, at the house where Madrigal-Mejia lived with Corona-Sanchez and Esqueda on Jacobstown Road in New Egypt. The undercover detective had arranged to buy two kilograms of black tar heroin from Corona-Sanchez and Madrigal-Mejia at the house for a price of $65,000 per kilo. When Madrigal-Mejia and Corona-Sanchez showed the undercover detective the heroin, the detective signaled members of the State Police TEAMS Unit to make arrests and execute a search warrant at the house. Mendez, who had supplied the two kilograms of heroin, was arrested in a vehicle outside the house. Esqueda was arrested in his bedroom, where investigators found a quantity of cocaine. Other quantities of cocaine, some packaged for distribution, were discovered in the kitchen and in hall closets. A digital scale, a heat sealer and packaging materials were found by investigators in common areas of the house.

Madrigal-Mejia and Corona-Sanchez also were charged in connection with an undercover purchase of one-half kilogram of crystal meth that the undercover detective made on May 2, 2014 outside a convenience store on Route 130 in Florence. The drugs were delivered to the detective by an unnamed co-conspirator, who delivered the purchase price of $15,000 to Madrigal-Mejia and Corona-Sanchez, who were parked nearby.

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