Camden Woman Admits Role In Drug Trafficking Organization

CAMDEN, N.J. – A member of a drug-trafficking organization today admitted conspiring to distribute illegal drugs in Camden, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced.

Jasmin Velez, 26, of Camden, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Renee Marie Bumb in Camden federal court to an information charging her with one count of conspiracy to distribute heroin within 1,000 feet of a school.

According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:

An investigation led by the FBI used surveillance tactics, confidential informants, consensual recordings, over 40 controlled drug purchases, record checks, a GPS vehicle tracker, and several court-authorized wiretaps to uncover the inner workings of the Camden drug-trafficking organization.

The count to which Velez pleaded guilty carries a maximum potential penalty of 40 years in prison and a $2 million fine. Sentencing is scheduled for Feb. 10, 2020.

Eight other members of the drug-trafficking conspiracy – Ronnie Lopez, Nelson Salcedo, Paul Salcedo, Waldemar Garcia, William Carrillo, Elisa Rivera, Ramon Velez, and Naeem Sadler – previously have pleaded guilty in this case. The charges against 10 other defendants in this case remain pending, and they are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito credited special agents of the FBI’s South Jersey Violent Offender and Gang Task Force, South Jersey Resident Agency, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Michael T. Harpster; the Camden County Police Department, under the direction of Chief Joseph Wysocki; the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Acting Prosecutor Jill S. Mayer; the Camden County Sheriff’s Department, under the direction of Sheriff Gilbert L. Wilson; the Cherry Hill Police Department, under the direction of Chief William P. Monaghan; and the N.J. State Police, under the direction of Col. Patrick J. Callahan, with the investigation leading to today’s guilty plea. He also thanked the Drug Enforcement Administration, the U.S. Marshals Service, and the Department of Homeland Security for their assistance.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sara A. Aliabadi and Patrick C. Askin of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Criminal Division in Camden.

Defense counsel: Michael Huff Esq., Camden