NEWARK, N.J. – In a brazen move, Jersey City street gang kingpin Anthony Phillips, aka ‘Ant,’ aka ‘Little Ant,’ 31, of Jersey City, has been caught red-handed with a firearm, heroin, and cocaine, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced today.
Phillips, who has a history of violent crime, appeared before U.S. Magistrate Michael A. Hammer in Newark federal court on June 6, 2024, and was detained. He was charged by complaint on April 30, 2024, with conspiring with Shannon Tisdale, aka ‘Doonk,’ 32, of Jersey City, New Jersey, to distribute heroin and cocaine.
The investigation began in December 2023, when law enforcement started probing individuals distributing narcotics in the area of Lexington and Bergen avenues in Jersey City, including members and associates of ‘Lex Mob,’ a notorious neighborhood street gang. On April 24, 2024, law enforcement observed Tisdale and Phillips distributing controlled substances in the Lexington Area.
When law enforcement approached them, both Tisdale and Phillips initially ran, but Phillips was eventually apprehended after discarding a firearm during the pursuit. A search of Phillips’ person revealed 12 orange containers of suspected cocaine and 13 orange glassine bags of suspected heroin. The firearm Phillips discarded was loaded with eight rounds of ammunition.
Phillips faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison for possession of a firearm as a convicted felon, and a mandatory minimum prison sentence of five years for possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. He also faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for possession with intent to distribute controlled substances and conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances.
The investigation was conducted as part of the Jersey City Violent Crime Initiative (VCI), a partnership between federal, state, county, and city agencies to combat violent crime in and around Jersey City. U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents and task force officers of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Newark Field Division, and the Jersey City Police Department for their efforts in bringing Phillips and Tisdale to justice.
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Key Facts
- State: New Jersey
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Violent Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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