Joshua Jackson Gets 70 Months for Gun Pipeline to Camden Drug Crew

Willingboro, New Jersey, gun trafficker Joshua Jackson, 36, a/k/a “Trent,” was sentenced to 70 months in federal prison for flooding Camden’s violent underworld with at least 200 illegal handguns. The sentence, handed down today in Camden federal court, marks the end of a years-long pipeline that armed drug dealers, including a key distributor of PCP and cocaine on Camden’s deadliest corners.

Jackson pleaded guilty to dealing firearms without a license, conspiracy to deal firearms without a federal firearms license, and possession of firearms by a convicted felon. U.S. District Judge Robert B. Kugler imposed the sentence after Jackson admitted to orchestrating a steady flow of weapons from illicit Ohio suppliers between December 2009 and September 2010—cash purchases from unlicensed sellers at gun shows and through straw buyers in Columbus, Ohio.

Many of the weapons ended up in the hands of Terrance Laboo, 43, of Oaklyn, New Jersey, who operated a narcotics hub at 4th and Chestnut Streets in Camden. Laboo, already convicted in the scheme, admitted he was moving drugs while buying and reselling Jackson’s guns to other criminals across South Jersey. The firearms moved swiftly: packed in duffel bags, shuttled on Greyhound buses from Columbus to Philadelphia and Mount Laurel, or driven in rental cars.

Jackson’s network exploited loopholes in interstate gun sales, relying on straw purchasers and unlicensed vendors who bypassed background checks. The lack of oversight allowed him to amass and resell firepower that fed into a broader ecosystem of street violence, where guns and drugs flowed hand in hand through some of New Jersey’s most vulnerable communities.

In addition to the 70-month prison term, Judge Kugler ordered Jackson to serve three years of supervised release upon his release. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), led by Special Agent in Charge George P. Belsky, spearheaded the investigation, with critical support from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of Ohio and ATF Columbus agents under Acting Special Agent in Charge Bradley Earman.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick C. Askin of the Criminal Division in Camden. Jackson was represented by defense attorney Justin Loughry, Esq., of Philadelphia. Authorities say the takedown disrupts a critical arm of South Jersey’s underground gun economy—but warn that networks like Jackson’s remain a persistent threat.

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