An Essex County man was sentenced today to 60 months in prison for possessing a handgun in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig announced today.
According to federal officials, Ricky Terrell, 24, of Newark, previously pleaded guilty to a one-count Information charging him with possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, specifically the possession with intent to distribute heroin and cocaine. Judge Vazquez imposed the sentence today in Newark federal court.
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 that 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.
On February 25, 2020, law enforcement lawfully searched Terrell’s residence and found heroin and cocaine, a Smith & Wesson .40 caliber handgun, and numerous rounds of ammunition.