Newark Heroin Ring Leaders Plead Guilty
Ten years of prison time looms for Quawee Jones, a/k/a “Hatman,” 34, of Newark, who admitted his role in a massive heroin distribution ring operating out of a residential building in Newark.
Jones, along with Shaahid Cureton, a/k/a “Dills,” 33, of Newark, and Rashard Johnson, a/k/a “Drama,” 39, of East Orange, New Jersey, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Jose L. Linares in Newark federal court to separate superseding informations charging them each with conspiracy to distribute heroin.
The defendants operated a heroin distribution marketplace out of the first floor hallway of a residential building at 25 Johnson Ave in Newark, just a few doors away from the Malcolm X. Shabazz High School and the Terrell James Park playground. The conspiracy was led by Quawee Jones and Almalik Anderson, who took advantage of the building’s location on a dead-end street, making it difficult for law enforcement to infiltrate the distribution network.
According to documents filed in the case and statements made in court, the defendants employed a complex system of lookouts and escape routes to evade capture. Police could not infiltrate the building without lookouts detecting their presence and signaling the sellers. Members of the drug trafficking organization also set up an escape route whereby residents were paid to keep their doors unlocked, allowing dealers to run through the building and exit via fire escapes at the rear of the building or simply hide within the apartments before police could apprehend them.
The drug conspiracy operated nearly 24 hours a day and was well-known among heroin users, who came from several different counties across New Jersey. The defendants allegedly worked in carefully planned “shifts” in order to handle the constant flow of heroin buyers, selling on average one to two kilograms of heroin per week between January 2013 and November 2015. Based upon the quantities sold, information from court-authorized wiretaps, and other evidence, the profit from the heroin distribution at 25 Johnson Avenue was estimated to be between $4 million and $7 million a year.
With today’s pleas, all 16 defendants indicted for their roles in the heroin distribution conspiracy, including Anderson, have been convicted. U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito credited special agents of the FBI and task force officers assigned to the FBI’s Safe Streets Task Force, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Timothy Gallagher in Newark, with the investigation.
Jones faces a statutory minimum prison term of 10 years in prison and a maximum potential penalty of life in prison. Cureton and Johnson face a maximum potential sentence of 20 years in prison. Jones is represented by defense counsel Stacy Ann Bian.
Key Facts
- State: New Jersey
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Violent Crime|Organized Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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