3 From N.J. Sold Heroin, Fentanyl In Lower Bucks

BRISTOL, PA — Three drug dealers from New Jersey are on their way to prison for selling heroin and fentanyl in Lower Bucks County.

According to prosecutors, the men, who used money from their drug sales to bankroll their rap group, sold drugs to undercover officers multiple times and, ultimately, were caught with thousands of bags of heroin.

Cornelius Bell, Jalmed Marks and Aaron Gyampo, all of Trenton, N.J., were sentenced for their roles in a drug operation that sold hundreds of bags of heroin a day to users in Lower Bucks County and Trenton, the Bucks County District Attorney's office announced.

Their convictions came after a months-long probe into the operation by the Bucks County Detectives Drug Strike Force, the Bristol Township Police Department, the Falls Township Police Department and the Middletown Township Police Department.

Mercer County Narcotics Task Force, Pennsylvania State Police and the Philadelphia Police Department also helped with the investigation.

During the effort, detectives made numerous undercover purchases of heroin and fentanyl from the men as they worked to learn the group's structure and their source for the drugs. On the investigation's final day, detectives seized 2,500 bags of heroin in Trenton.

Each of the three pleaded guilty to corrupt organizations, conspiracy and other charges Bell, 29, the admitted leader of the group, was ordered to serve 9 1/2-30 years behind bars. Investigators identified Bell as the most frequent seller, having bought heroin from him between March and November of 2018 and observing other sales.

Marks, 28, was sentenced to 7-20 years in state prison. Gyampo, 27, was the first to admit his guilt during a court appearance in August and was sentenced to 2-6 years.

"But for the hard and collaborative work of these police agencies, these defendants might still be flooding our streets with poison," said Deputy District Attorney Thomas C. Gannon. "It is my hope these sentences will serve as a warning to the would-be dealers who dare to take the place of these defendants."