Indictments Handed Down In Massive Paterson Drug Ring Take Down

PASSAIC COUNTY, NJ — The alleged leader and 16 other members of a narcotics network linked to the Bloods street gang were indicted Thursday for allegedly distributing large amounts of heroin in Paterson, Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal announced.

A state grand jury handed up the indictments, which stem form "Operation Pitfall," a collaboration by several law enforcement agencies, including the State Police, Bergen County and Passaic County prosecutor's offices, and local police departments.

The network was led by local members of the Blood street gangs known as the "4K Bloods," or "Korner Boyz." The alleged ringleader, Jaumel Reese, 35, of Passaic, and one of his alleged suppliers, Jesse Garcia, 27, of Lodi, were arrested and November, Grewal said.

During the investigation, authorities seized 4,500 doses of heroin, three guns, hollow-nose bullets, and more than $19,000.

The following people, all but one are from Paterson, were each charged with second-degree conspiracy:

• Eric Huntington, 41
• Jerome Deas, 38
• Marvelous Pitts, 31
• Shaques Huntington, 24
• Herbert Pitts, 60
• Justin Jones, 24
• Angela Whitehead, 32, of Prospect Park
• Jeffrey Hunter, 29
• Markeith Davis, 48
• Tariq Jackson, 25
• Devon Armstrong, 40
• Jonathan Cedeno, 22
• Isaac Coleman, 32
• Hanife Dock, 29
• Theodore Blackshear, 46

Each of the 16 alleged buyers face a third-degree heroin possession charge:

• Robert Ferri, 33, of Wyckoff
• Carl McKenith, 65, of Englewood
• Winter Burch, 36, of Passaic
• Jasmine Soto, 28, of Milford, Pennsylvania
• Christopher Gutierrez, 34, of Milford, Pennsylvania
• Daniel Grimm, 67, of Franklin
• Nicholas McLaughlin, 26, of Greeley, Pennsylvania
• Christopher Holbert, 24, of Hawley, Pennsylvania
• Brent Howell, 33, of Blairstown
• Frank Marchionni, 26, of Nanuet, New York
• Jonathon Kleinberg, 29, of New City
• Michael Armao, 33, of Greenwood Lake, New York
• Michael Sheridan, 42, of Johnson, New York
• Chelsea Rouse, 34, of East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania
• Jennifer Halterman, 33, of East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania
• David Boralsky, 35, of Stanhope
• Michael Ryerson, 48, of Paterson

“We are collaborating in investigations like Operation Pitfall to target the drug traffickers who are fueling the deadly opioid epidemic and bringing violence to the neighborhoods of our cities,” said Grewal. “This investigation really took aim at the heart of the problem, because Paterson is a major hub for heroin distribution across northern New Jersey and the open-air drug markets allegedly controlled by this Bloods set in the city’s 4th Ward have a history of gun violence.”

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Photos: The 17 people who were indicted Wednesday for allegedly distributing large amounts of heroin in Paterson. (Mugshots courtesy of New Jersey Attorney General's Office/Background image via Shutterstock)