Leader of Atlantic City Drug Trafficking Group Gets 11 Years

Federal authorities say the leader of an Atlantic City drug trafficking organization has been sentenced to 135 months in prison for conspiring to distribute one kilogram or more of heroin.

U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito made the announcement on Monday that 31-year-old Khalif Toombs of Egg Harbor Township would be spending the next 11 years behind bars.

Toombs had pleaded guilty to an information charging him with one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute more than one kilogram of heroin.

Carpenito's office says,

Toombs guilty plea was charged as part of a federal drug investigation that culminated in the arrest of 22 individuals. Thirteen other members of the drug trafficking conspiracy – Wilbert Toombs, Quadir Stanley, Dean Johnson, Khalif Davis, Joseph Aversa, Thomas Randall, Mayda Hernandez, Sarah Taliaferro, James Blackwell, Philip Surace, Nasir Brown, Karon Carey, and David Ramirez – previously pleaded guilty to their respective roles in the conspiracy. Eight other defendants have been indicted for their roles in the conspiracy and their cases remain pending.

According to court documents,

Toombs and other members of the drug conspiracy trafficked heroin from Paterson, New Jersey, into Atlantic City, New Jersey. Toombs admitted in court to conspiring with others to traffic between three and 10 kilograms of heroin during the period of the investigation and to being a manager and supervisor of the drug trafficking conspiracy, which operated throughout Atlantic County. An investigation led by the FBI used physical and video surveillance, confidential informants, consensual recordings, and two court-authorized wiretaps to uncover the operation. The investigation tracked multiple stamps of heroin being distributed by Toombs and others, including, “AK-47,” “Apple,” “Fortnite,” “Rolex,” “Frank Lucas,” “Bentley,” “Pandora,” and “9 ½.” Between Jan. 1, 2017, and June 21, 2019, these stamps have accounted for 48 deaths and 84 non-fatal overdoses in New Jersey.

In addition to the prison term, Toombs was sentenced to five years of supervised release.

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