Gloucester County Man Convicted of Drug Conspiracy and Firearms Offenses
NEWARK, N.J. – A federal jury convicted a Gloucester County, New Jersey, man for narcotics trafficking and firearms offenses, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s New Jersey Division Cheryl Ortiz and U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced today.
Javier Osorio, 43, of Deptford, New Jersey, was convicted following a one-week trial before U.S. District Judge Brian R. Martinotti in Newark federal court. Osorio was convicted of conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute heroin and cocaine, possession with the intent to distribute heroin, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
Osorio conspired with others to distribute cocaine and over one kilogram of heroin, which was recovered from his apartment. Osorio was arrested while driving with his conspirators from New Jersey to Brooklyn to sell an additional quantity of heroin, which was recovered from the vehicle. In addition to the drugs recovered from his apartment, law enforcement also recovered a loaded stolen firearm from under Osorio’s mattress.
At sentencing, Osorio faces a maximum potential penalty of 20 years on each count of conspiracy to distribute heroin and cocaine and possession with the intent to distribute heroin is punishable by a maximum penalty of life in prison. The count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime carries a mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison, which must be served consecutively to any other prison term; the count of unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon carries a maximum potential penalty of 10 years in prison. Each count also carries a potential $250,000 fine.
U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents with the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Cheryl Ortiz, with the investigation leading to these charges. He also credited the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Prosecutor Esther Suarez for its assistance.
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.
23-16
###
