Passaic County Man Sentenced to Five Years in Prison for Participating in Drug Conspiracy

NEWARK, N.J. - A Passaic County, New Jersey, man was sentenced today to 60 months in prison for conspiring to distribute 100 grams or more of heroin, 40 grams or more of fentanyl, and cocaine base and to distributing a quantity of heroin and fentanyl, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig announced.

Jimir Ricks, 26, of Paterson, New Jersey, previously pleaded guilty by videoconference before U.S. District Judge Brian R. Martinotti to an information charging him with conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute 100 grams or more of heroin, 40 grams or more of fentanyl, and a quantity of cocaine base and knowingly and intentionally distributing heroin and fentanyl. Judge Martinotti imposed the sentence today in Newark federal court.

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

Ricks 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 determined that from at least September 2018 through Oct. 1, 2019, Ricks and his conspirators conspired to distribute narcotics, including heroin and fentanyl.

In addition to the prison term, Judge Martinotti sentenced Ricks to five years of supervised release.

This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

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 Jeffrey L. Matthews; 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 today's sentencing. She 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.