Newark man pleads guilty to drug conspiracy, crack distribution

NEWARK, NJ — Nasir Williams, 24, of Newark, admitted distributing and conspiring with others to distribute more than 28 grams of cocaine base, acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig announced April 27.

Williams pleaded guilty by videoconference before U.S. District Court Judge John Michael Vazquez to an information charging him with one count each of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 28 grams or more of cocaine case and distribution of 28 grams or more of cocaine base.

According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court, from at least February 2019 through February 2020, law enforcement officers investigated individuals that controlled an open-air drug market that operated at Stephen Crane Village, a public housing complex in Newark, on the border with Belleville. Through numerous controlled purchases of narcotics, consensually recorded telephone calls and text messages, physical surveillance, and the analysis of telephone records, law enforcement officers determined that numerous individuals, including Williams, conspired to distribute and did actually distribute narcotics, including heroin, fentanyl, cocaine and cocaine base, in and around Stephen Crane Village. On Jan. 15, 2020, in Stephen Crane Village, Williams sold approximately 31 grams of cocaine base to an individual while under surveillance by law enforcement.

The conspiracy and distribution charges to which Williams has pleaded guilty both carry a statutory mandatory minimum term of five years in prison, a maximum of 40 years in prison and a maximum fine of $5 million. Sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 21.

  Drugs, Newark Police Department, U.S. Attorney’s Office