Acting Attorney General John J. Hoffman announced that a leader of a narcotics trafficking ring and a co-defendant pleaded guilty today for participating in an operation that used the U.S. Mail and other parcel delivery services to ship multiple kilograms of cocaine from California into New Jersey.
Kemar Davis, 24, of Hollywood, Calif. (formerly of Margate, Fla.) pleaded guilty to a charge of first-degree leading a narcotics trafficking network before Superior Court Judge John T. Kelley in Camden County. He and the other alleged leader of the ring, his brother Andrew K. Davis, 37, of Kingston, Jamaica (formerly of Swedesboro, N.J.) a Jamaican recording artist, who records under the name “Flippa Mafia” and “Flippa Moggela,” were charged in a Jan. 10, 2014 indictment, along with eight co-defendants, stemming from “Operation Next Day Air,” an investigation led by the New Jersey State Police, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the Division of Criminal Justice. Under the plea agreement, the state will recommend that Kemar Davis be sentenced to 20 years in state prison, with a 12-year period of parole ineligibility. Co-defendant, Roger Davis, 37, of Roslyn, Pa. who is another brother of Andrew and Kemar, also pleaded guilty today to first-degree possession with intent to distribute cocaine. The state is recommending he be sentenced to 10 years in state prison, with a three-year period of parole ineligibility, as part of his plea agreement. Both men are scheduled to be sentenced on November 6.
Deputy Attorney General Julia S. Glass prosecuted Davis for the Division of Criminal Justice Gangs & Organized Crime Bureau. Andrew K. Davis faces pending charges including a first-degree charge of leading a narcotics trafficking network, which carries a sentence of life in state prison, with a 25-year period of parole ineligibility.
Co-defendant Angel R. Rivera was sentenced on June 12 to 10 years in state prison, with a 3.5-year period of parole ineligibility, for his role in the operation. Juan M. Cortez, 43, of Vineland, another co-defendant, was sentenced on July 31 to eight years in state prison, with a two-year period of parole ineligibility. Both men pleaded guilty to first-degree possession of cocaine with intent to distribute. Cortez and Rivera were arrested on March 11, 2013 at the Cherry Hill Mall. They had taken delivery of a kilogram of cocaine at the mall, allegedly from another co-defendant Marsha G. Bernard, 33, of Cherry Hill. When the men were arrested, detectives discovered cocaine in a hidden compartment in Rivera’s vehicle. Charges against Bernard are pending. During the overall investigation, detectives seized over 26 kilos of cocaine, worth approximately $910,000, two handguns, and over $500,000 in cash.
Four other defendants in Operation Next Day Air were sentenced previously:
James C. McBride, 42, of Mount Laurel, was sentenced on Nov. 21, 2014 to 16 years in state prison, including eight years of parole ineligibility. He pleaded guilty to first-degree possession of cocaine with intent to distribute. McBride was arrested on March 15, 2013 outside the Cherry Hill Mall after taking delivery of three kilos of cocaine from co-defendant Sidonie McLeod.
Sidonie McLeod, 30, of Cherry Hill, was sentenced to five years in state prison on Jan. 16 after pleading guilty to a conspiracy charge.
Ruan Rose, 42, of Philadelphia, Pa., was sentenced to four years in state prison on Feb. 13 after pleading guilty to a conspiracy charge.
Hioka N. Myrie, 34, of Philadelphia, Pa., was sentenced to three years in state prison on Feb. 20 after pleading guilty to a conspiracy charge.
The investigation targeted the ring’s shipment of large quantities of cocaine through parcel delivery services to New Jersey for bulk distribution to other narcotics suppliers and dealers.
Andrew Davis allegedly led the ring’s drug trafficking activities from various locations in Jamaica, California and New Jersey, along with his brother Kemar. The investigation began in March 2011, when detectives and agents from the Camden High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Task Force and the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office seized two packages from a mail facility in Marlton allegedly destined for receipt by Andrew Davis and Marsha Bernard. Each package contained four kilograms of cocaine.
In December 2012, Andrew and Kemar Davis traveled to Jamaica. Andrew remained in Jamaica, but he allegedly continued to control the ring’s activities by directing Kemar and others. Kemar returned to the U.S. and allegedly oversaw the shipment of kilogram quantities of cocaine from California to New Jersey. Bernard and other defendants allegedly received the drugs and distributed them to dealers in New Jersey, under the direction of the Davis brothers. Bernard allegedly handled the drug proceeds, sending them to Andrew Davis in Jamaica and Kemar Davis in California.