NEWARK, N.J. - A Passaic County, New Jersey, man was sentenced today to 63 months in prison for conspiring to distribute fentanyl and distributing fentanyl, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig announced.
Cequan Wharton, a/k/a “Cee Cee," 27, of Paterson, New Jersey, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Brian R. Martinotti in Newark federal court to an information charging him with conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute heroin and knowingly and intentionally distributing heroin. Judge Martinotti imposed the sentence by videoconference today.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
Wharton and his conspirators are members and associates of the 230 Boys street gang, which operates primarily around Rosa Parks Boulevard and Godwin Avenue in Paterson. Through numerous controlled purchases of narcotics, consensually recorded telephone calls and text messages, physical surveillance, and the analysis of telephone call detail records, law enforcement officers determined that from at least September 2018 through Oct. 1, 2019, Wharton and his conspirators conspired to distribute narcotics, including heroin and fentanyl.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Martinotti sentenced Wharton to three years of supervised release.
This case is being conducted under the auspices of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking, weapons trafficking and money laundering organizations, and those primarily responsible for the nation’s illegal drug supply.
Acting U.S. Attorney Honig credited special agents and task force officers with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Newark Division, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Charlie J. Patterson; special agents of the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Susan A. Gibson in Newark; officers of the N.J. State Police, under the direction of Col. Patrick J. Callahan; officers of the Paterson Police Department, under the direction of Director Jerry Speziale and Police Chief Ibrahim Baycora; detectives of the Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Prosecutor Camelia Valdes; and the Passaic County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Sheriff Richard H. Berdnik, with the investigation leading to the charges. He also thanked the U.S. Marshals Service, the Bergen County Sheriff's Office and the Belleville and Livingston police departments for their assistance with the case.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Francesca Liquori, of the Organized Crime and Gangs Unit.
