NEW JERSEY — Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal announced that a state grand jury has indicted nine men in an investigation that targeted a large-scale cocaine distribution ring in Cumberland County. During the investigation, the Division of Criminal Justice dismantled a drug mill in Vineland, where they seized heroin and fentanyl, as well as assault rifles and illegal large capacity magazines.

The indictment handed up today is the result of an eight-month investigation by the Division of Criminal Justice (DCJ) Gangs & Organized Crime Bureau that led to arrests of a dozen defendants in late 2017. The Division of Criminal Justice was assisted by the Cumberland County Prosecutor’s Office. Three other defendants pleaded guilty to first-degree distribution of cocaine prior to the indictment.

The Division of Criminal Justice obtained an indictment charging Terrel Goodwin, 30, of Vineland, with first-degree promoting organized street crime.

Goodwin, who allegedly was a major supplier of cocaine, is also charged with first-degree distribution of cocaine, along with George Smith, 58, of Bridgeton.

Goodwin, Smith, and six other men are charged with second-degree conspiracy.

Those six other men allegedly acted as “runners” for Goodwin, distributing cocaine to street-level dealers.

The ninth indicted defendant, Alexander Torres, 33, of Vineland, was arrested when detectives of the DCJ Gangs & Organized Crime Bureau executed a search warrant during the investigation at his basement apartment on North Myrtle Street, where they seized six guns, including two illegal assault rifles, and four illegal large capacity magazines.

They also seized nearly 100 grams of heroin mixed with fentanyl, nearly a kilogram of powder dibutylone (“bath salts”), over 900 dibutylone pills, and drug milling equipment, including grinders, blenders, mixing bowls, respirator masks, scales and a pill press.

Torres is charged with first-degree maintaining a narcotics production facility, as well as drug and weapons offenses, including possession of a weapon as a convicted felon, possession of firearms during commission of a drug crime, and possession of assault rifles and large-capacity magazines.

“The drugs and guns seized in this investigation speak to the danger this criminal ring posed to residents in the communities where they operated,” said Attorney General Grewal. “By dismantling this network and filing first-degree charges against the lead defendants, we took important steps to promote safety and security in South Jersey.”

“By conducting proactive investigations that target large-scale distributors of narcotics and that cut deeper into the supply network, we maximize our impact on drug dealing and the violence that so often accompanies it,” said Director Veronica Allende of the Division of Criminal Justice. “I commend the detectives and attorneys in our Gangs & Organized Crime Bureau who conducted this operation, which led to first- and second-degree charges against a dozen alleged drug dealers.”

Three other cocaine suppliers who allegedly supplied or received cocaine from Goodwin were arrested during the investigation and pleaded guilty previously to first-degree distribution of cocaine. Each of the following men is awaiting sentencing and faces a recommended sentence of ten years in state prison:

• Moses Arellano, 23, of Vineland
• Christian Padilla, 28, of Glassboro
• Oscar Gonzalez, 36, of Vineland

Deputy Attorney General Lisa Rastelli was assigned to the investigation for the Division of Criminal Justice Gangs & Organized Crime Bureau, under the supervision of Deputy Bureau Chief Erik Daab and Bureau Chief Lauren Scarpa Yfantis. Deputy Bureau Chief Daab presented the case to the state grand jury. Lead detectives for the DCJ Gangs & Organized Crime Bureau were Detective Jeffrey Lorman and Detective Todd Watkins, as well as the entire Organized Crime South Unit, under the supervision of Detective Sgt. Peppi Pichette, Deputy Chief of Detectives Christopher Donohue, and Chief of Detectives Weldon Powell. Attorney General Grewal thanked the Cumberland County Prosecutor’s Office and the New Jersey State Police Intelligence Section for their valuable assistance.

The following is a full list of the defendants charged in the indictment returned today:

1. Terrell Goodwin, 30, of Vineland
2. George Smith, 58, of Bridgeton
3. Alexander Torres, 33, of Vineland
4. Stephen Fortune, 30, of Bridgeton
5. Joshua Rivera, 21, of Bridgeton
6. Wesley Bowleg, 46, of Bridgeton
7. Eric White, 31, Vineland
8. Kyle Mills, 33, of Bridgetown
9. Joseph Flores, 26, of Vineland

First-degree charges carry a sentence of 10 to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $200,000, while second-degree charges carry a sentence of five to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $150,000. The sentence for promoting organized street crime must be served consecutively to the sentence for any underlying offense. First-degree distribution of cocaine carries an enhanced fine of up to $500,000. Possession of a weapon as a convicted felon carries a minimum term of parole ineligibility of five years. The third-degree drug charges carry a sentence of three to five years in state prison and a fine of up to $35,000, while fourth-degree charges carry a sentence of up to 18 months in prison and a $10,000 fine.

The indictment was handed up to Superior Court Judge Thomas M. Brown in Mercer County, who assigned the case to Cumberland County, where the defendants will appear in court at a later date for arraignment.

Editor’s Note: An arrest, indictment or signing of a criminal complaint is merely an accusation.  Despite this accusation, the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until he or she has been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

MORRIS COUNTY — Mayo Performing Arts Center (MPAC) is holding a food drive this holiday season until Friday, December 27 with all donations going to nourish.NJ, formerly known as Community Soup Kitchen of Morristown.

Patrons attending events are encouraged to donate non-perishable food items and personal care items at shows. Donations may also be dropped off at the box office during regular business hours from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

Current needs include canned soup, low sugar cereal and oatmeal, individual packages of breakfast bars, nuts or trail mix, canned chicken and tuna, sturdy backpacks, sleeping bags, undershirts, boxers, men’s and women’s low socks, laundry soap, hand sanitizer, flashlights rain ponchos, shampoo, razors, toothpaste, soap, deodorant  and other toiletries.

Nourish.nj provides nutritious meals in a warm, safe and caring environment, free of charge, no questions asked, to anyone who comes seeking nourishment.

Mayo Performing Arts Center (MPAC) is a member of Parsippany Area Chamber of Commerce.

MORRIS COUNTY — Senator Joe Pennacchio wants to help New Jersey become a global leader in clean, renewable fusion energy, and his resolution seeking federal funding for fusion research was approved by the Senate Environment and Energy Committee.

“New Jersey is perfectly positioned to play a crucial role in bringing the promise of fusion energy to fruition and changing the way the world generates power,” said Pennacchio (R-26). “Our state is the home of the Princeton Plasma Physics Lab and a growing ecosystem of ambitious start-up companies determined to make fusion power a reality. Investment from the federal government aligned with some sensible moves by the State to support this promising industry could yield massive dividends for our residents and New Jersey’s future.”

Pennacchio’s measure (SR-146) calls on Congress and the President to increase federal funding for fusion research.

In May, Pennacchio hosted a symposium with a panel of top experts in physics and fusion energy.

“From what we learned, it is obvious the potential of fusion is limitless,” Pennacchio noted. “The promise of a super clean, reliable, and affordable energy solution is within reach. If we are truly committed to developing a sustainable, environmentally friendly energy source, we can get this done with a financial push from Washington. Fusion energy is a clean safe source of renewable energy that can be supported by both Republicans and Democrats, environmentalists and the business community.”

Current nuclear power plants create power through fission, a process that splits a uranium isotope to start a chain reaction. Both the fuel and the waste are highly radioactive.

Fusion, on the other hand, is a nuclear reaction occurring when two light nuclei smash together and fuse, creating a heavier nucleus and releasing energy in the process. Fusion is safe because accidents like Chernobyl and Fukushima are impossible. Fusion is cleaner, too, producing only a fraction of the waste nuclear fission produces.

“For years, people have assumed the promise of fusion was decades in the future, but some experts believe it could become a reality in as little as five years,” Pennacchio said. “Just as California has its Silicon Valley, New Jersey could have its Fusion Epicenter if we play our cards right.”

Pennacchio’s resolution is just one of a series of fusion-related bills the senator sponsored in September:

• (S-3946) Includes fusion within the definition of Class I renewable energy as defined in the “Electric Discount and Energy Competition Act.” Other Class I renewable energies include energy produced from solar technologies, wind energy, etc. Enacted in 1999, the Electric Discount and Energy Competition Act fundamentally changed the way residential and commercial consumers of electricity pay for their services. It separates the cost of generating and supplying power from the cost of delivering it. Under this bill, consumers would be able to purchase fusion energy when it becomes available.
• (S-4045) Establishes a scholarship program for graduate students and postdoctoral researchers in the field of fusion science. Under the program, the state will award ten scholarships annually in the amount of $12,500 each to qualified recipients.  Each scholarship awarded will be contingent upon the recipient receiving an equal scholarship from their institution of higher education. Recipients must remain in good standing at the institution.
• (S-4073) Provides that fusion energy and fusion technology companies are eligible to receive benefits under certain economic incentive programs. Under the bill, the New Jersey Economic Development Authority (EDA) is required to adopt rules and regulations for the administration of economic incentive programs to provide that any reference or stipulation under a program related to the development or production of renewable energy, the development of emerging technologies, or to the expansion of targeted industries in this State connected to the award of a benefit or incentive to a company is deemed to include the development or production of fusion energy or fusion technology in this State.
• (S-4074) Requires the New Jersey Economic Development Authority (EDA), in consultation with the New Jersey Commission on Science, Innovation and Technology, to establish a Fusion Technology Industry Development Program to promote the fusion technology industry in the State and to attract fusion technology businesses to the State. Requires the EDA to provide technical and financial assistance to fusion technology businesses considering locating in New Jersey and to invest moneys from business assistance programs administered by the EDA, as may be available.
• (S-4075) Establishes the NJ Fusion Technology Industry Commission. The commission is to consist of the following nine members: the Secretary of Higher Education; the chair of the Commission on Science, Innovation and Technology; the Executive Director of the New Jersey Economic Development Authority; two members from NJ colleges and four public members with a background in fusion. The bill requires the commission to be responsible for the development and oversight of policies and programs in fusion energy and technology development in New Jersey and report annually to the Governor and Legislature.