Keith Brinkley, Fentanyl Conspiracy, New Jersey 2020

A Passaic County man has admitted to conspiring to distribute fentanyl and distributing a quantity of the deadly opioid, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced.

Keith Brinkley, a/k/a 'K Murder,' 30, of Paterson, New Jersey, pleaded guilty by videoconference before U.S. District Judge Brian R. Martinotti to an indictment charging him with conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute fentanyl and knowingly and intentionally distributing fentanyl.

According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court, Brinkley and his conspirators are members and associates of the 230 Boys street gang, which operates primarily around Rosa Parks Boulevard and Godwin Avenue in Paterson.

Through investigative techniques, including numerous controlled purchases of narcotics, consensually recorded telephone calls and text messages, physical surveillance, and the analysis of telephone call detail records, law enforcement determined that from at least September 2018 through Oct. 1, 2019, Brinkley and his conspirators conspired to distribute narcotics, including heroin and fentanyl.

Each of the charges to which Brinkley pleaded guilty carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a fine of $1 million. Sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 7, 2020.

This case is being conducted under the auspices of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking, weapons trafficking and money laundering organizations, and those primarily responsible for the nation's illegal drug supply.

U.S. Attorney Carpenito credited special agents and task force officers with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Newark Division, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the N.J. State Police, the Paterson Police Department, the Passaic County Prosecutor's Office, and the Passaic County Sheriff's Office, with the investigation leading to the charges.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-nj/pr/passaic-county-man-admits-participating-fentanyl-conspiracy