October 26, 09

NEWS / West New York Man Sent to Prison on First-Degree Drug Charge

Charged in ring that brought large amounts of heroin from New York to Hudson County

TRENTON ¨C Attorney General Anne Milgram announced that a West New York man was sentenced to prison today in connection with a ring that distributed heroin in Hudson County.

According to Criminal Justice Director Deborah L. Gramiccioni, Jeison Ramirez, 28, of West New York, was sentenced to eight years in state prison, including 34 months without possibility of parole, by Superior Court Judge Kevin G. Callahan in Hudson County. Ramirez pleaded guilty in June 2008 to a charge of first-degree distribution of heroin.

Ramirez was charged as a result of a joint investigation by the New Jersey Division of Criminal Justice, Hudson County Prosecutor¡¯s Office and New York Drug Enforcement Task Force. The investigation uncovered a drug ring that was bringing large quantities of heroin from New York City to Hudson County for distribution.

Five other defendants were indicted in June 2008 in connection with the ring. On May 1, 2009, three of them were sentenced to prison by Judge Callahan after pleading guilty to first-degree distribution of heroin:

¡öEnrique Carbonell, 55, of Union City, was sentenced to 10 years in state prison, including 42 months without possibility of parole;
¡öLuis Fernando Mejia, 44, of North Bergen, was sentenced to 10 years in state prison, including 30 months without possibility of parole; and
¡öCesar Arrias, 31, of West New York, was sentenced to five years in state prison, including 18 months without possibility of parole.
Another man, Jorge Hernandez, 61, of New York, N.Y., was sentenced on June 3 to five years in state prison by Judge Callahan. Hernandez pleaded guilty to second-degree conspiracy. Areli Osorio, 37, of Clifton, who was Ramirez¡¯ girlfriend, was also indicted. She pleaded guilty to a third-degree conspiracy charge and was sentenced to two years of probation.

Deputy Attorney General Annmarie Taggart prosecuted the cases and handled today¡¯s sentencing for the Division of Criminal Justice Gangs & Organized Crime Bureau.

The investigation revealed that Hernandez would obtain large quantities of heroin in New York City for distribution to Mejia. Mejia would transport the drugs to New Jersey, where they were distributed to other members of the conspiracy. Mejia would supply heroin to Ramirez, who in turn supplied it to Carbonell. The investigation further determined that Carbonell was distributing heroin and cocaine out of a storefront on Kennedy Boulevard in Union City. Arrias was involved in delivering heroin to Carbonell.

On Feb. 28, 2008, Hernandez, Mejia and Arrias were arrested by members of the investigating agencies and search warrants were executed at Hernandez¡¯s residence and Mejia¡¯s residence. At Hernandez¡¯s resident on Convent Avenue in New York City, officers allegedly seized more than a kilogram of heroin, two loaded semi-automatic guns, and $6,000 in cash. They allegedly seized more than 150 grams of heroin at Meijia¡¯s residence on 83rd Street in North Bergen.

The investigation was led by Lt. Chuck Foley and Detective Miguel Rodriguez of the Division of Criminal Justice Gangs & Organized Crime Bureau, along with Detective Ray Santos of the Hudson County Prosecutor¡¯s Office and members of the New York Drug Enforcement Task Force under the supervision of Sgt. Neil Nappi of the New York City Police Department.

http://www.nj.gov/oag/newsreleases09/pr20091023d.html