Bensalem Man Convicted Of Heroin Trafficking (ICYMI)

BENSALEM, PA — A Bensalem man has been convicted in federal court of trafficking heroin, at least some of it mixed with fentanyl, and gun charges.

Matt "Mack" Jones, 36, was found guilty last week after a four-day trial.

According to the U.S. Attorney's office in Philadelphia, police in Pennsylvania and New Jersey began a joint investigation of Jones and others in January 2018. They learned that Jones supplied two women with heroin and directed them to deliver the drugs to customers in New Jersey and the Philadelphia area.

Undercover officers bought heroin from Jones and the women several times with the help of a cooperating witness at the Cherry Hill Mall, in Cherry Hill, N.J., and Philadelphia Mills (formerly Franklin Mills) in Philadelphia.

Prosecutors say lab analysis of the drugs confirmed that it was heroin mixed with fentanyl, a potentially deadly opioid. In July 2018, officers searched Jones' Bensalem home.

They found half a kilogram of heroin, cocaine, marijuana and more than $100,000 cash, as well as a Colt .38 handgun and a 12-gauge shotgun and ammunition.

"Jones and other members of this drug organization pumped huge quantities of deadly drugs into our community for years," said U.S. Attorney William McSwain. "Drug trafficking is an inherently dangerous business and the traffickers ultimately deliver destruction to our communities. Our office is determined to investigate and convict these criminals, and put them behind bars."

Jones faces a sentence of 35 years to life under federal sentencing laws.

The case was investigated by the federal Drug Enforcement Administration, the Philadelphia Police Department, New Jersey State Police, Bensalem Township Police and the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office.