A member of a New Jersey street gang who was accused of being involved in a drug trafficking ring was sentenced to 240 months, or 20 years, in prison on May 8. According to the press release, the man, age 26, was convicted on multiple charges that included possession of weapons and drug conspiracy.
The accused man was reportedly a member of a gang known as "3.6" and "Dirty Block," among other names. It was believed that he was involved in a drug trafficking ring that was focused around Atlantic City and multiple public housing apartment complexes. The ring reportedly sold heroin with firearm possession and was believed to be involved in at least one homicide and other shootings that were nonfatal.
He was eventually taken into custody and on multiple drug and weapon-related charges and was convicted in January 2015. Ultimately, he was convicted of conspiracy to distribute heroin, brandishing and discharging firearms while being involved in drug-related activities and for being in possession of firearms as a felon. In addition to the 20-year prison sentence, the accused man was also sentenced to 10 years of supervised release.
The consequences for being convicted for conspiring to sell heroin can be extremely severe and may include a lengthy prison sentence. A criminal law attorney may potentially create a strong defense for the accused person by either arguing that they were not involved in the illegal activity or they were threatened into being involved. In some cases, depending on the available evidence, the attorney may potentially negotiate a plea bargain that results in some of the charges being dropped or reduced, which could mitigate some of the consequences.
Source: FBI, "Member of Dirty Block Atlantic City, New Jersey Gang Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison on Drug Conspiracy and Weapons Charges ," May 8, 2015