As a result of a six-month investigation that involved several agencies, several individuals were taken into custody and face a number of heroin possession and distribution charges. One man in particular, a 55-year-old from Lake Hopatcong, New Jersey, pleaded guilty to a drug charge of Second Degree Conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute greater than one-half ounce of heroin.
The man pleaded guilty as a part of a plea deal and, as a result, it will be recommended that the man be sentenced to five years in the New Jersey State Prison. By entering a guilty plea, the man admitted to conspiring with others to distribute more than 1,900 doses of heroin. His plea arrangement also required him to forfeit more than $55,000, along with a 2008 Dodge Durango. The man pleaded guilty on Nov. 18, and his sentencing is scheduled for Feb. 28, 2014.
The investigation that led to the man’s charges was based on information received by the Hopatcong Police Department. Including the man from Lake Hopatcong, seven people were taken into custody as a result of the investigation. Agencies seized over 500 doses of heroin, six vehicles used for illegal activities and $23,000 in proceeds of drug sales.
Thanks to arranging for a plea bargain, the man is likely to have had lesser charges dropped in exchange for a guilty plea. Without a plea deal, he is likely to have faced a lengthier term in prison. When someone faces a number of criminal charges, plea bargains can often help people spend less incarceration time and avoid large penalties associated with conviction.