NEWARK, NJ — Ricky Terrell, 24, of Newark, was sentenced May 5 to five years in prison for possessing a handgun in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime, acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig announced May 5.
Terrell previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Court Judge John Michael Vazquez via videoconference to a one-count information charging him with possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime, specifically the possession with intent to distribute heroin and cocaine.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court, from February 2019 through February 2020, law enforcement officers investigated individuals that controlled an open-air drug market that operated within 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 call detail records, law enforcement determined that numerous individuals conspired to distribute and did actually distribute narcotics, including heroin, fentanyl, cocaine and cocaine base, in and around Stephen Crane Village.
On Feb. 25, 2020, law enforcement lawfully searched Terrell’s residence and found heroin and cocaine, a Smith & Wesson .40-caliber handgun, and numerous rounds of ammunition.
In addition to the prison term, Vazquez sentenced Terrell to three years of supervised release.
Newark man sentenced to 5 years in prison for gun possession added by Editor on
View all posts by Editor →