Five Newark men were arraigned today on charges they ran an illegal drug mill that distributed at least one kilogram of heroin, U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman announced.
On April 28, 2015, a federal grand jury in Newark indicted each of the following defendants with one count of distributing and possessing with intent to distribute, and one count of conspiring to distribute, one kilogram or more of a mixture and substance containing heroin:
Lateef Grimsley, 25, of Newark, previously arrested and charged by complaint on Nov. 13, 2013.
Daquwann Walker, 24, of Newark, previously arrested and charged by complaint on Nov. 15, 2013.
Rassol China, 33, of Newark, previously arrested and charged by complaint on Nov. 22, 2013.
Bryant Rudd, 26, of Newark, previously arrested and charged by complaint on Feb. 11, 2014.
Shakur Billinghurst, 21, of Newark, previously arrested and charged by complaint on April 6, 2015.
The defendants were arraigned today before U.S. District Judge Jose L. Linares in Newark federal court.
According to the indictment, other documents filed in this case, and statements made in court:
During a drug trafficking investigation, special agents of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) obtained information that the third-floor apartment of a building located in Newark was being used as a heroin mill. DEA special agents seized from the heroin mill more than one kilogram of heroin and a variety of drug paraphernalia and packaging materials.
Each of the two counts with which the defendants are charged carries a mandatory minimum term of 10 years in prison and a maximum term of life, and a $10 million fine.