Federal authorities charged four Elizaeth men for their roles in conspiracies to distribute and possess with intent to distribute narcotics, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig and Acting Union County Prosecutor Lyndsay V. Ruotolo announced today.
Federal officials said, Mr. Tyshawn Jones, 45; Mr. Walter Gibbs, 50; Mr. Rodney McCrae, 51; and Mr. Syhid Ellison, 37; all of Elizabeth, are charged by complaint with conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute heroin and fentanyl.
Each defendant is also charged with additional narcotics offenses.
According to officials, Jones, McCrae, and Ellison were arrested this (Thursday) morning and are scheduled to appear this afternoon by videoconference before U.S. Magistrate Judge Edward S. Kiel. Gibbs remains at large.
According to the documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
From August 2020 through May 2021, the defendants sold heroin and fentanyl in an open-air narcotics market around Third Street between Court Street and Magnolia Avenue in Elizabeth.
Through numerous controlled purchases of drugs, surveillance, and the analysis of telephone records, the investigation uncovered evidence that the defendants conspired with each other and others to distribute heroin and fentanyl.
The defendants sold heroin that is frequently mixed with fentanyl, a potent, synthetic opioid that is approximately 50 times stronger than heroin.
Each count charged in the complaint carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a fine of at least $1 million.