South Jersey Man Pleads Guilty As Leader Of Massive Drug Ring

MAYS LANDING— A Galloway Township man has pleaded guilty to being the leader of a drug distribution network in which authorities seized 12,225 bags of heroin, fentanyl and cocaine in a July 2016 raid in a number of South Jersey towns, Atlantic County Prosecutor Damon G. Tyner said.

Ameer Stephens, 36, pleaded guilty on March 29, 2018, before Judge Bernon DeLury to first-degree leader of a narcotics trafficking network and second-degree possession of a handgun by a convicted person. He faces 24 years in state prison with no eligibility for 10.5 years, the prosecutor said.

Stephens was arrested on July 7, 2016, when detectives, police officers, and agents simultaneously executed 19 search warrants for residences and commercial properties in Atlantic City, Galloway Township, Egg Harbor Township, Hamilton Township, Hammonton and Pleasantville.

They seized 12,225 bags of heroin, approximately eight ounces of raw, unpackaged heroin, eight ounces of suspected fentanyl, and about two pounds of cocaine. Prior to that, investigations connected to the drug raid yielded additional drugs, cash and weapons, including 111 vehicles, $155,000 in cash and six handguns, Tyner said.

The investigation was a joint investigation between the Atlantic City Police Department, Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office, FBI and New Jersey State Police. A total of 42 defendants were charged in connection with the drug network. Diaab Siddiq, 48, was also indicted as a leader of a narcotics trafficking network.

Stephens posted bail in September 2016, but was detained on March 7, 2017 when police found a hidden compartment in his vehicle with an illegal handgun and another kilo of heroin, Tyner said.

He was granted a release from jail this week pending his May 25 sentencing and placed on electronically-monitored home detention. Stephens’ wife, Nadirah Abdul-Jabbar, 32, pleaded guilty to second-degree conspiracy to distribute heroin with Ameer Stephens on April 4. Until sentencing, the husband and wife told the court they will live together in their Mays Landing home, Tyner said.

Photo: Courtesy of Shutterstock