Following an undercover drug investigation that took place in 2014 in New Jersey, four men entered a guilty plea for their alleged involvement in what law enforcement officials say was a major drug trafficking ring in Burlington and Ocean counties. Both federal and state officials led the investigation known as "Operation Speed Racer".
According to authorities, the men were charged after an undercover detective met with two of the men in their New Egypt home to purchase two kilograms of black tar heroin back in July 2014. Once the men revealed the drugs, State Police drug unit officials appeared to execute a search warrant of the home where more drugs were reportedly located.
At that point, law enforcement officials took four men into custody. Those who were accused of distributing heroin were a 31-year old North Hanover man and a 36-year-old New Egypt man. Both men recently entered a guilty plea to a charge of first-degree distribution of heroin, and they face a 10-year prison sentence. Police also found two other men in the house during the search and detained them on suspicion of drug trafficking. Both men later entered a guilty plea to lesser charges of third-degree possession of cocaine with intent to distribute and second-degree possession of heroin with intent to distribute.
Being charged with a drug crime is serious and could lead to severe consequences, such as incarceration and significant fines. People in these circumstances may want to have a criminal defense attorney create defense strategies in an effort to undermine the prosecution's case by exposing procedural errors, rights violations or police misconduct that could result in the charges being lowered or even dismissed altogether.
Source: NJ.com, "4 plead guilty in South Jersey heroin ring", S.P. Sullivan, Jan. 11, 2016