Feds Bust New Jersey Based Drug Ring

By Alicia Cruz
TheBlackUrbanTimes

FBI agents in New Jersey arrested two additional people in connection with an alleged drug trafficking ring based out of Elizabeth, New Jersey.

Officials say the ring distributed narcotics as far as Allentown, Pa., Hartford, Conn., and Hagersville, Md., from New Jersey and even Puerto Rico.

Nelson "Carlos," Yordan, of Waterbury, Conn., and Michael Rosario, of Hagerstown, Md., were both charged with conspiracy to distribute controlled substances. They made their initial appearances today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark Falk in Newark federal court.
Yordan and Rosario are among 15 people arrested over the past three weeks by FBI agents and local police.

One of the defendants, arrested in November 2012, was identified as the coordinator of the drug ring. Police say, Roberto Rentas "El Duro" Negron, was responsible for processing and packaging the cocaine and heroin, the resale of the narcotics, the distribution of the proceeds from the drug sales, and shipping the drugs from Puerto Rico to the United States.

Negron's co-conspirators coordinated shipments of the narcotics through the U.S. mail to New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Connecticut with the narcotics secreted into items such as candles and children’s toys. Individuals in New Jersey would coordinate these shipments, process or “cut” the narcotics and distribute them to locations within the State, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Maryland and other locations.

Other members allegedly tied to the drug operation were arrested last month. They are:

Kelmit Velazquez; Antonio Vazquez aka "Panta," ; Fernando Duarte Castro; Julio Martinez Jr., 43, of Elizabeth; Lorenzo Carballo, 28, of Elizabeth; Hector Espinoza aka "Will," 27, of Elizabeth; William Crespo aka "Negro," 33, of Allentown, Pa.; Melvin Gerena aka "Flaco," 29, of Elizabeth; Marco Rodriguez, 26, of Elizabeth; Jerel Evans aka "Gigante," 25, of Elizabeth; Robert Evans aka "Gigante’s Brother;" and Christian Reyes aka "Enano."

Each of the defendants are charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances.

Velazquez and Vazquez – were arrested Nov. 30, 2012, along with Negron, after FBI agents learned that Negron and Velazquez were plotting to murder a rival drug dealer who had reportedly stolen one kilogram of heroin from the organization.

They made their initial court appearances before Judge Falk on Dec. 3, 2012 and were ordered detained pending trial. After their arrests, many of their co-conspirators reportedly took measures to evade law enforcement, including changing cell phones and fleeing to other states.

Police say Vazquez frequently supplied narcotics to Negron, and Reyes coordinated shipments of the narcotics from Puerto Rico. The other members of the drug ring cut, processed, packaged, stored and distributed the narcotics and occasionally travelled to Florida, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Maryland and other states in order to obtain cocaine to distribute in the Elizabeth area.

As part of a coordinated operation, federal and local law enforcement authorities subsequently located and arrested: Duarte Castro on Dec. 3, 2012, in Newark; Carballo and Espinoza on Dec. 13, 2012, in Elizabeth; Crespo in Allentown; Yordan in Hartford; and Rosario in Hagersville; on Dec. 14, 2012. After fleeing to Puerto Rico, Rodriguez turned himself in to the FBI in San Juan two days ago.

Martinez and Gerena were previously arrested by the Elizabeth Police Department on unrelated charges and remain in custody pending their transfer to face the federal charge.

The counts with which Yordan, Rosario, Negron, Velazquez, Martinez, Carballo, Espinoza, Crespo, Jerel Evans, Robert Evans, Gerena, and Rodriguez are charged carry a minimum of five years in prison, and a maximum of 40 years in prison and a $5 million fine.

The counts with which Vazquez and Reyes are charged carry a minimum of 10 years in prison, and a maximum of life in prison and a $10 million fine.

The count with which Duarte Castro is charged carries a maximum of 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine.

The other three defendants remain at large.

U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in charge Michael B. Ward; U.S. Postal Inspectors under the direction of Phillip R. Bartlett; law enforcement officers from the N.J. National Guard Counter Drug Task Force, under the direction of the Adjutant General, Brig. Gen. Michael L. Cunniff; the Union County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Prosecutor Theodore J. Romanko; and the Elizabeth Police Department, under the direction of Police Director James Cosgrove, with the investigation leading to the charges. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Adam N. Subervi and David Eskew of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Criminal Division in Newark.