Acting Attorney General John J. Hoffman announced that a leader of a drug ring and his brother were sentenced to lengthy prison terms today for their roles in an international drug trafficking ring that used the U.S. Mail and other delivery services to ship multiple kilograms of cocaine from California into New Jersey.
Kemar Davis, 25, of Hollywood, Calif., was sentenced to 20 years in state prison, including 12 years of parole ineligibility, by Superior Court Judge John T. Kelley in Camden. He pleaded guilty on Sept. 14, 2015, to a first-degree charge of leading a narcotics trafficking network.
Kemar Davis ran the drug ring along with his brother, Andrew K. Davis, 37, of Kingston, Jamaica (formerly of Swedesboro, N.J.), a well-known Jamaican dancehall DJ who records under the names “Flippa Mafia” and “Flippa Moggela.”
Andrew Davis was convicted at trial on Dec. 17 of first-degree distribution of cocaine, second-degree money laundering, and second-degree conspiracy. Andrew Davis also was charged with leading a narcotics trafficking network, but the jury could not reach a unanimous verdict on that charge. The state is scheduled to retry Andrew Davis on that charge starting on May 23.
A third brother, Roger Davis, 38, of Roslyn, Pa., was sentenced today by Judge Kelley to 10 years in state prison, including three years of parole ineligibility. He pleaded guilty on Sept. 14 to first-degree possession of cocaine with intent to distribute.
The charges were contained in a Jan. 10, 2014 indictment stemming from “Operation Next Day Air,” an investigation led by the New Jersey State Police, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Division of Criminal Justice. In the course of the investigation, detectives recovered more than 26 kilograms of cocaine, worth more than $960,000, two handguns, and more than $500,000 in cash.
Deputy Attorney General Julia S. Glass and Deputy Attorney General Erik Daab, who is Deputy Bureau Chief, are prosecuting the case for the Division of Criminal Justice Gangs & Organized Crime Bureau. Deputy Attorney General Glass handled today’s sentencing.
“This case sends a powerful message to drug traffickers who sell addiction, misery and death into our communities – no matter where you live, we’re going to investigate you, track you down, and bring you to justice,” said New Jersey Acting Attorney General John J. Hoffman.
“We’ve already put nine drug traffickers behind bars in Operation Next Day Air, and the lead defendant, Andrew Davis, also will face a lengthy prison term when he is sentenced,” said Director Elie Honig of the Division of Criminal Justice. “We’ll continue to work with our state and federal partners to target these major drug trafficking syndicates that are supplying New Jersey’s drug dealers.”
“I’m proud of the State Police detectives who led this cooperative investigation, and I commend all of the hard work and dedication of our partnering agencies, which resulted in the dismantling of an international narcotics network,” said Colonel Rick Fuentes Superintendent of the New Jersey State Police.
“The dismantlement of this international drug trafficking organization is a great success for law enforcement, and our communities are safer as a result of this investigation,” said Carl J. Kotowski, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New Jersey Division. “The DEA and our law enforcement partners will continue to pursue drug violators wherever the investigation leads us.”
Another defendant, Marsha G. Bernard, 34, of Cherry Hill, N.J., was tried with Andrew Davis and convicted of first-degree distribution of cocaine, second-degree money laundering, and second-degree conspiracy. She was sentenced on Feb. 5 to 21 years in prison, with six years of parole ineligibility.
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 directed drug trafficking activities of the ring from various locations in Jamaica, California and New Jersey, with the help of 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 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 continued to control activities of the ring by directing Kemar and others. Kemar returned to the U.S. and oversaw the shipment of kilogram quantities of cocaine from California to New Jersey. Bernard and other defendants received the drugs and distributed them to dealers in New Jersey, under the direction of the Davis brothers. The purchasers bought kilogram quantities of cocaine from the Davis organization. Bernard and Roger Davis handled the drug proceeds, sending them to Andrew Davis in Jamaica and Kemar Davis in California.
Bernard was arrested on March 15, 2013, when State Police detectives and DEA agents coordinated arrests in Operation Next Day Air to coincide with the arrival of a significant shipment of cocaine from California. Kemar Davis was arrested in Los Angeles that same day by DEA agents. Andrew Davis was arrested in Los Angeles on Sept. 16, 2013 by members of the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force.
Roger Davis was arrested on a warrant after the indictment was returned in this case.
Six other defendants in Operation Next Day Air pleaded guilty and were sentenced previously to state prison sentences ranging from three years to 16 years.