NEWARK, N.J. – An Essex County, New Jersey, man today admitted possessing a handgun in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced today.
Federal officials said Ricky Terrell, 24, of Newark, pleaded guilty by videoconference before U.S. District Court Judge John Michael Vazquez to an information charging him with one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, specifically, the possession with intent to distribute heroin and cocaine.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
Stephen Crane Village is a public housing complex in Newark, on the border with Belleville.
From February 2019 through February 2020, law enforcement officers investigated individuals who controlled an open-air drug market that operated within Stephen Crane Village.
Through numerous controlled purchases of narcotics, consensually recorded telephone calls and text messages, physical surveillance, and the analysis of telephone call detail records, law enforcement determined that numerous individuals conspired to distribute and did actually distribute narcotics, including heroin, fentanyl, cocaine and cocaine base, in and around Stephen Crane Village.
According to officials, on Feb. 25, 2020, law enforcement lawfully searched Terrell’s residence and recovered heroin and cocaine, a Smith & Wesson .40 caliber handgun, and numerous rounds of ammunition.
The possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime carries a statutory mandatory minimum term of five years in prison, a maximum of life in prison, and a maximum fine of $250,000. Sentencing is scheduled for April 21, 2021.