The Union County Prosecutor’s Office has reported the sentencing of a man in Elizabeth to 15 years in prison for heroin distribution and money laundering in Union County. The defendant was the operator of two high volume heroin production facilities located in Union Township and Linden New Jersey. The related arrest resulted in seizure of $3.0 million in heroin and firearms, including a handgun with hollow-point bullets, a silencer and high capacity magazine.
William Camino, had been arrested approximately three years ago as the result of an investigation by the Union County Guns, Gangs, Drugs and Violent Crimes Task Force. Camino was responsible for operating heroin facilities in Union and Linden, as well as possessing large quantities of heroin at two Elizabeth New Jersey locations. A total of 5.5 kilograms of heroin were seized as a result of search warrants executed by several agencies, including the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Elizabeth, Linden, and Union police departments.
Camino had entered a plea earlier in the year to first degree money laundering (a.k.a. Racketeering) and first degree distribution of a controlled dangerous substance, namely, heroin. Under N.J.S.A. 2C:35-5, captioned “Manufacturing, distributing or dispensing of CDS”, it is a first degree crime to distribute or possess with intent to distribute a quantity of heroin of five ounces or more. A conviction under this law carries a term of imprisonment of 10-20 years with a period of parole ineligibility set at between one-third and one-half of the sentence imposed. During this period of parole ineligibility, also referred to as a mandatory minimum term of incarceration, a defendant cannot be considered for parole. There is also a fine of up to $500,000 that applies under 2C:35-5b(1). An offense for money laundering under N.J.S.A. 2C:21-25 also carries the possibility of 10-20 years in prison where the accused engages in transactions involving $500,000 or more derived from criminal activity. Another serious criminal offense that has implications in this case is possession of a firearm in conjunction with CDS activities.
The sentence imposed in this Elizabeth heroin case was well within the range of what would be expected. In fact, the 15 years imposed was exactly in the middle of permissible period of imprisonment. One would assume that the term of incarcerated was the the result of a negotiated plea.
Union County Heroin Distribution Defense Lawyers
Heroin and other opiate based controlled dangerous substances (“CDS”) have received considerable attention from law enforcement given all of the overdose deaths that have occurred. You can expect aggressive prosecution if you were arrested on charges of distributing or possession with intent to distribute heroin anywhere in Union County. Having an accomplished Elizabeth drug distribution lawyer is an absolute necessity for anyone faced with this type of offense. The attorneys in our firm, the Law Offices of Jonathan F. Marshall are well equipped to serve you in this role. We are former county prosecutors, including a former director of the Gangs, Guns and Drugs Task Force, and a team of veteran criminal lawyers that have decades in practice handling heroin possession and distribution charges in Union County, including those arising in Elizabeth, Linden, Union Township and other municipalities in Union County. Contact our Union NJ Office at 908-272-1700 to speak to an attorney on our team immediately.
You can find additional details concerning this matter in the following two articles:
