NEWARK, N.J. - A Massachusetts man was charged today with conspiring to sell five kilograms of heroin at the Jersey Gardens Mall in Elizabeth, New Jersey, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced.
Jose Manuel M. Ramos Lemus, 50, a citizen of Mexico residing in Boston, was charged by complaint with one count of conspiring to distribute and possessing with intent to distribute more than one kilogram of heroin. Lemus appeared today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark Falk in Newark federal court.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
On July 6, 2019, Lemus arrived at the Jersey Gardens Mall to meet with a confidential source (CS). In the parking lot of the mall, Lemus assured the CS that he had 5 kilograms of China White heroin for distribution. After leaving the vehicle, Lemus returned with a duffle bag containing five kilograms of heroin and was arrested at the scene.
The count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute more than one kilogram of heroin carries a mandatory minimum term of 10 years in prison, a maximum penalty of life in prison, and a $10 million fine.
U.S. Attorney Carpenito credited the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Newark Division, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Susan A. Gibson, with the investigation leading to today’s charges.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren E. Repole of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force Unit in Newark.
The charge and allegations in the complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
