Ronnie Holley, Fentanyl Distribution, New Jersey 2024

Two Newark men, Ronnie Holley, 32, and Shadee Holley, 31, have been charged with narcotics distribution and firearms charges in a case linked to the Bloods Street gang.

Newark, NJ – Ronnie Holley, 32, and Shadee Holley, 31, both of Newark, are each charged by complaint with one count of conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and cocaine base and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Ronnie Holley is also charged with one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

According to documents filed in the case, the two men were high-ranking members of the Sex Money Murders (SMM) set of the national Bloods Street gang. SMM operates in and around Newark, New Jersey, and has engaged in violent disputes with other gangs, trafficked narcotics, and committed various firearms offenses since 2007.

Law enforcement officials learned that Ronnie and Shadee Holley operated a sophisticated narcotics distribution operation around Martin Luther King Boulevard and Spruce Street. A confidential source conducted eight controlled purchases of fentanyl and crack-cocaine from the brothers over the past few months, totaling approximately 40 grams of suspected fentanyl and approximately 25 grams of suspected crack-cocaine.

The count of narcotics conspiracy is punishable by a mandatory minimum of five years in prison and a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison. The count of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence is punishable by a mandatory minimum of five years in prison and a maximum sentence of life in prison, which must run consecutively to any term of imprisonment imposed on any other charges. The count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon is punishable by a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.

Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael Honig credited the Essex County Sheriff’s Office and special agents of the Drug Enforcement Administration with the investigation leading to the charges. The case is part of the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Violent Crime Initiative, which aims to combat violent crime in and around Newark.

The charges and allegations contained in the complaint are merely accusations, and Ronnie and Shadee Holley are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

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