Freehold NJ Resident Charged with Leading Cocaine Distribution Ring
The Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office has announced that they have arrested nine members of what authorities are calling a major cocaine distribution ring that was operating out of Freehold Borough last week.
According to the reports, over the last nine months the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office has been partaking in what has been dubbed as “Operation Snowball”. The investigation allegedly focused on a group of individuals whom authorities believe were distributing more than 1/3 of a kilo of cocaine each and every week in Monmouth County. A forty-eight year old male from Freehold Borough is believed to be the ring leader behind the operations. It is alleged that he would distribute specific quantities of cocaine to lower level dealers and direct them to distribute it throughout specific locations within the Borough. In all, authorities seized 721 grams of cocaine and just under $15,000 in cash. The ring leader has been charged with being the leader of a drug trafficking network and eight other individuals were arrested and charged with various drug offenses surrounding not only the possession of cocaine but the distribution as well. Of the nine Defendants, seven were from Freehold Borough, one from New Brunswick and one from Manalapan. Although it is not clear based on the information at this point, most if not all of the Defendants were probably taken to the Monmouth County jail where they await a Detention Hearing. During that hearing it will be the prosecutions burden to convince the Judge that they Defendant(s) must be detained in the county jail without bail, pending trial.
Leader of a Drug Trafficking Network Charges in New Jersey
Being the leader of a drug trafficking network is one of the most serious criminal offenses under the New Jersey criminal code. This offense differs from your typical drug distribution offenses as in order to be convicted of this offense the prosecution must establish that the Defendant was the financier, supervisor, organizer or manager of a narcotics trafficking network, that involved at least two other people. Now although this offense is typically associated with the higher ups in major drug trafficking networks, the courts have made it clear that that specific factor is not an element of the offense. The key in determining whether this statute is applicable is whether the Defendant had authority and control over the others involved in the “network”. If convicted of this offense alone, a Defendant would be facing a mandatory life in prison sentence, whereby they must serve at least 25 years before they could be considered eligible for parole.
Facing a Cocaine Charge in Freehold New Jersey?
At Keith Oliver Criminal Law, our office fully understands the stress and anxiety that most feel when they are charged with a serious criminal offense. If you or a loved one is currently facing a criminal offense like the possession of heroin, the distribution of marijuana, the possession of prescriptions drugs or the possession of marijuana in Monmouth County, we can help. Our office defends those accused of various criminal offenses in courts throughout Monmouth County including courts in towns like Manalapan, Middletown, Freehold, Tinton Falls, Wall Township, Ocean Township, Asbury Park and Long Branch. If you would like to schedule a free consultation today, then please contact our Middletown office at 732.858.6959 or leave us an email. Our attorneys are available immediately for a free initial consultation.
For more information on this investigation, please checkout nj.com’s article labeled 9 arrested in ‘Operation Snowball’ cocaine bust, authorities say.
