A Mercer County man was sentenced today to 120 months in prison for his role in a large drug trafficking conspiracy that distributed more than one kilogram of heroin in Trenton and the surrounding area, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced.
Davias Taylor, 28, of Trenton, previously pleaded guilty to an information charging him with one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute one kilogram or more of heroin.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
In October 2018, Taylor and 25 other members of a drug trafficking conspiracy operating in Trenton were charged with conspiracy to distribute heroin. To date, 23 defendants have pleaded guilty in connection with their participation in the conspiracy.
From as early as October 2017 to October 2018, the defendants and others engaged in a narcotics conspiracy that operated in the areas of Martin Luther King Boulevard, Sanford Street, Middle Rose Street, Southard Street, Hoffman Avenue, and Coolidge Avenue in Trenton, and that sought to profit from the distribution of heroin and numerous other controlled substances.
Through the interception of telephone calls and text messages pursuant to court-authorized wiretap orders, controlled purchases of heroin, the use of confidential sources of information, and other investigative techniques, law enforcement learned that defendants Jakir Taylor and Jerome Roberts obtained regular supplies of hundreds of “bricks” of heroin from defendant David Antonio, to whom they referred as “Papi.”
The investigation revealed that during the conspiracy, Davias Taylor met David Antonio and introduced him to his conspirators, Jakir Taylor and Jerome Roberts so that Antonio could supply the conspiracy with significant quantities of heroin. Davias Taylor himself also obtained and redistributed significant quantities of heroin for profit.
In addition to the prison term, Davias Taylor was sentenced five years of supervised release.
The charges and allegations against the remaining defendants are merely accusations and those defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.