Thirteen defendants have been indicted in connection with their alleged roles as members, associates,and suppliers of a drug trafficking conspiracy that distributed cocaine and crack cocaine in and around Monmouth County, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced on Jan. 9.
Damion Helmes, Dawn Stephens, Shantay Walker, Keith Logan, Shamar Dudley, Tonya Underwood, Elizabeth Conover, Curtis Jenkins, Ralph Lee and Eric Yarbrough were charged with conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute more than 280 grams of crack cocaine, according to Carpenito.
In addition, Helmes, Stephens, Walker, Logan, Dudley, Underwood, Conover, Jenkins, Lee, Yarbrough, Derrick Hayes, Dequan Copeland and Cassius Williams were charged with conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute more than 500 grams of cocaine, Carpenito said.
Helmes was also charged with possession with intent to distribute cocaine and crack cocaine, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and with being a felon in possession of a firearm, according to Carpenito.
Hayes was also charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm.
According to documents filed in the case and statements made in court: Between April and August 2019, the defendants and others allegedly engaged in a narcotics conspiracy that operated primarily in municipalities throughout Monmouth County and which sought to profit from the distribution of cocaine and crack cocaine.
The municipalities include Cliffwood, Keansburg, Matawan, Keyport, Red Bank, Long Branch, Neptune and Asbury Park in Monmouth County, and Brick Township in Ocean County.
Through the interception of telephone calls and text messages pursuant to court authorized wiretap orders, and other investigative techniques, law enforcement officers learned Helmes obtained regular supplies of cocaine from Hayes and Copeland.
Helmes then allegedly redistributed that cocaine, portions of which he converted into crack cocaine, for profit, to other conspirators, distributors, sub-dealers and end users throughout Monmouth County.
During the wiretap portion of the investigation, law enforcement agents intercepted communications by and between the conspirators regarding such issues as cocaine quality and availability, pricing, packaging, quantity, and customer satisfaction.
The defendants were originally charged by complaint on Aug. 22, 2019.
The count of conspiracy to distribute 280 grams or more of crack cocaine carries a maximum penalty of life in prison, a 10-year mandatory minimum term of imprisonment, and a maximum fine of $10 million.
The count of conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine carries a maximum penalty of 40 years in prison, a five-year mandatory minimum term of imprisonment, and a maximum fine of $5 million.
The count charging Helmes with possession with intent to distribute cocaine and crack cocaine carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine.
The count charging Helmes with possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime carries a statutory mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of five years and a maximum potential penalty of life in prison, and must be served consecutive to the sentence imposed on the drug trafficking crime.
The felon in possession counts against Helmes and Hayes carry a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.
Each firearms count also carries a maximum fine equal to the greatest of $250,000, twice the gross amount of pecuniary gain that any persons derived from the offense, or twice the gross amount of any pecuniary loss sustained by any victim of the offense.
Carpenito credited special agents of the FBI, Newark Division, Red Bank Resident Agency, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Gregory W. Ehrie.
He also thanked detectives of the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Prosecutor Christopher Gramiccioni; officers of the Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Sheriff Shaun Golden; officers of the Howell Police Department, under the direction of Police Chief Andrew Kudrick; officers of the Aberdeen Police Department, under the direction of Police Chief Richard A. Derechailo.
And, officers of the Red Bank Police Department, under the direction of Police Chief Darren McConnell; officers of the Hazlet Police Department, under the direction of Police Chief Phillip Meehan; officers of the Keansburg Police Department, under the direction of Police Chief James K. Pigott; officers of the Highlands Police Department, under the direction of Police Chief Robert Burton.
Also, officers of the Holmdel Police Department, under the direction of Police Chief John Mioduszewski; officers of the Middletown Police Department, under the direction of Police Chief Craig R. Weber; officers of the Long Branch Police Department, under the direction of Police Chief Jason Roebuck.
Finally, officers of the Union Beach Police Department, under the direction of Police Chief Michael J. Woodrow; and officers of the Brick Township Police Department, under the direction of Police Chief James Riccio, for their assistance with the investigation.
