CAMDEN — Forty people, including a female Camden County police officer, have been charged in connection with a drug trafficking network accused of distributing heroin and crack cocaine in South Jersey, including Gloucester County.
Arrested by local, state and federal law enforcement officers in raids early Tuesday morning were the network’s alleged leaders: Donyell Calm, 31, Kareem Anderson, 33, and Nathan Ingram, 35, all of Camden.
Five search warrants were executed in Operation Southern District, including three in Camden, one in Haddon Township and one in Williamstown. This led to the seizure of three vehicles, 8,000 bags of heroin, 1,000 bags of crack cocaine, 10 pounds of marijuana, more than $11,000 cash and four firearms, including an automatic rifle. The total street value of the drugs is estimated at $85,000.
The months-long investigation began when the Camden County Police Department alerted the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office and New Jersey State Police that a police officer’s husband was an alleged member of the network.
Camden County Police Officer Ashley Bailey, 28, allegedly accessed confidential information related to targets of this investigation and alerted those suspects to her findings. She also is accused of releasing confidential information given to her during departmental briefings.
Bailey, a Camden resident, is the wife of Edwin Ingram, 30, an alleged member of the network who was arrested and charged with conspiracy. He is the brother of Nathan Ingram.
Bailey was arrested and charged with official misconduct, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, conspiracy and terroristic threats. She faces up to 30 years in prison if convicted on all counts.
Nathan Ingram, Calm and Anderson are charged with one count each of leading a narcotic trafficking network, possession of a controlled dangerous substance, possession with intent to distribute a controlled dangerous substance and conspiracy. They face at least 20 years in prison on these charges.
Calm also is facing one count each of attempted murder, unlawful possession of a weapon and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose for an April shooting in Camden. One man was injured in that incident, but survived.
Calm and Anderson are accused of overseeing the Camden City-based operation. The network allegedly supplied heroin and crack cocaine to lower-level dealers in Camden and Atlantic counties. The drugs also reached buyers in Burlington, Gloucester and Ocean counties.
Investigators believe the operation engaged in drug sales valued at approximately $1.2 million annually. Calm, in his capacity as a leader of the network, allegedly sold approximately 5,000 bags of heroin and/or cocaine per week.
A fourth defendant, Lawrence Brown, 21, of Camden, faces the same charges as Calm, Anderson and Nathan and remains at large. He is accused of being a manager and dealer for the network, and was allegedly responsible for collecting money and resupplying the workers. Ingram allegedly acted as Brown’s supervisor.
Nine other alleged members of the organization were charged with one count of conspiracy. They are Andrew Colavecchio, 28, of Haddon Township; Jason Gazzara, 23, of Williamstown; and Fidel Webb, 26, Montel Lee, 21, Tatiana Timmons, 19, Jermaine Calm, 30, Kevin Williams, 34, and Carlos Gutierrez, 20, and Kyeisha Grant, 21, all of Camden. All were taken into custody Tuesday with the exception of Gutierrez, Lee and Timmons, who remain at large.
Colavecchio, Gazzara, Lee and Timmons also face one count each of possession of a controlled dangerous substance and possession with intent to distribute CDS. Additionally, Colavecchio is charged with one count of endangering the welfare of a child. Grant also is charged with one count of maintaining a CDS facility.
As part of the investigation, 17 drug buyers were previously arrested and charged with possession of CDS and/or other drug-related offenses. They are Ryan Wells, 22, Barbara Hewson, 37, and Victoria Woodall, 37, all of Williamstown; Vanessa Pierson, 33, and James Ahrens, 28, both of Mullica Hill; Mark Gennovario, 49, and Tina Moore, 45, both of Deptford; Louis Pierce, 28, and Denise Winters, 32, both of Mount Ephraim; Danna Moody Jones, 36, of Camden; James Ellis, 52, of Gloucester City; Carlos Cedeno II, 35, of Barnegat; Michael Napolitano, 33, of Shamong; Carlton Pettit Jr., 25, of Medford; Christina Hopkins, 26, of Browns Mills; Lucas Thomas, 26, of Westville; and Kristen Robbins, 31, of Deepwater.
Eight other drug buyers were charged in connection with the takedown with attempting to possess CDS. They are Danny Davis, 19, and Timothy Bowen, 33, both of Williamstown; Destiny Fraction, 22, of, Lindenwold; Carol Johnson, 62, of Brooklawn; Ashley Whittaker, age not available, Woodstown; Kyle Hubbs, 20, of Gloucester City; Jennifer Adair, 19, of Collings Lakes; and Seth Lawrenson, 20, of Hammonton.
