Leader of Camden Drug Gang Sentenced to Life in Federal Prison on Drug Charge

CAMDEN—The leader of a Camden drug trafficking organization was sentenced to life in federal prison today for his conviction on a federal drug conspiracy charge, Acting U.S. Attorney Ralph J. Marra, Jr. announced.

U.S. District Judge Joseph E. Irenas, who presided over the nine-week trial, ruled that Mack Jones, 36, a.k.a. “Bear,” of Camden, faced a mandatory life sentence because of his two prior felony drug convictions.

Jones was convicted by a federal jury on March 7, 2008, along with co-defendants Jevon Lewis, 34, of Cherry Hill, a.k.a. “V” and “Cool V,” and Ahmed Judge, 32, of Camden, a.k.a. “Edy” and “Bleek.” After only seven hours of deliberations, a federal jury found Jones guilty of one count of drug distribution conspiracy. Jones was the leader of a long-term, large-scale drug trafficking organization operating in Camden.

The jury also returned guilty verdicts against Lewis and Judge on federal drug and murder charges. Lewis was convicted for his leadership role in a separate drug organization and ordering a murder in furtherance of that organization’s operations. Judge, who was an enforcer for Lewis’ drug organization, was convicted of drug distribution conspiracy; murder while engaged in that conspiracy; murder in the course of a firearm offense; and possession of a firearm by a previously convicted felon.

In convicting the three defendants, the jury found that Jones, Lewis, Judge and others conspired between 1993 and March 2003, with others, including Raymond Morales, to distribute and possess with intent to distribute large amounts of cocaine and crack cocaine. The jury also found that Lewis and Judge, while engaging in that conspiracy, intentionally caused the Oct. 4, 2001, murder of Kenneth Fussell in Camden.

The case was tried by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Diana V. Carrig and Howard Wiener of the U.S. Attorney’s Criminal Division in Camden.

The Indictment charging Lewis, Judge and Jones, along with other federal Indictments and Complaints that charged 13 additional defendants and the filing of state charges against 35 suspects, were offshoots of a long-term cooperative investigation that culminated in the March 8, 2003, arrests and subsequent Indictment of six defendants, including Morales, 37, of Camden.

On May 31, 2007, authorities for the first time announced that Morales had pleaded guilty on July 27, 2005, to a nine-count Superseding Information and was cooperating with the government. The Superseding Information to which Morales pleaded guilty charged him with six counts of ordering a murder in furtherance of a Continuing Criminal Enterprise (“CCE”); one count of witness tampering by ordering the attempted murder of a witness; one count of distribution and possession with intent to distribute over 500 grams of cocaine; and one count of being a principal administrator of a CCE that operated in Camden from 1993 until 2003. Morales has been in custody since March 2003, and faces up to seven life sentences.

Judge Irenas sentenced both Lewis and Judge to prison terms of life plus 120 months on May 14, 2009, and April 22, 2009, respectively.

In determining the actual sentence, Judge Irenas consulted the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, which provide appropriate sentencing ranges that take into account the severity and characteristics of the offense, the defendant’s criminal history, if any, and other factors. The judge, however, is not bound by those guidelines in determining a sentence. Parole has been abolished in the federal system.

Marra credited the Special Agents of the DEA, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Gerald P. McAleer in Newark, and Investigators with the Camden County Prosecutor Office Homicide Unit, under the direction of Prosecutor Warren W. Faulk, with the investigation.

Marra also thanked the member agencies of the Philadelphia/Camden HIDTA Task Force for their assistance in the investigation. The Philadelphia/Camden HIDTA Task Force is comprised of the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices for the Districts of New Jersey and Eastern Pennsylvania, The Camden County Prosecutor’s Office, Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office, DEA, FBI, ATF, Camden Police Department, New Jersey State Police, Philadelphia Police Department, New Jersey Division of Criminal Justice, Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office, Camden County Sheriff’s Department, Delaware River Port Authority Police and the U.S. Marshal's Service.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Diana V. Carrig and Howard Wiener of the U.S. Attorney’s Criminal Division in Camden.