A Bloomfield NJ man is headed to prison after entering a guilty plea on heroin distribution charges related to major drug trafficking ring operating out of Newark, New Jersey.

The suspect placed under arrest last year after federal law enforcement determined his role in a drug trafficking network distributing heroin and other narcotics throughout Newark NJ. The base of operations for the drug syndicate was a Johnson Avenue apartment.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) started an investigation that resulted in authorities arresting 15 people in connection with the drug ring. The suspect was not one of those people, but he was later named as a suspect after investigators determined that he was the drug trafficking operation’s primary supplier of drugs.

Law enforcement searched the suspect’s Bloomfield NJ home and reportedly found more than 500 bricks of heroin and approximately 70 pounds of marijuana, in addition to a loaded rifle.

The suspect was charged with multiple crimes, including heroin distribution, possession with intent to distribute marijuana, and unlawful possession of a weapon.

The suspect was classified as a “career offender,” which meant that he faced potential life imprisonment if convicted at trial in US District Court in Newark, New Jersey. The suspect ultimately avoided trial by reaching a plea agreement with federal prosecutors and pleading guilty to charges for conspiring to distribute a kilogram or more of heroin. As a result of the plea deal, the suspect will likely face a more lenient sentence than the maximum allowable under law.

For further information about this case, read the NJ.com article, “Man Caught with $650K of Drugs Admits Role in Trafficking Ring.”