New Jersey man sentenced for role in drug trafficking ring

MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Braheem Sallie, of Camden, New Jersey, was sentenced today to 60 months of incarceration for his role in a drug conspiracy that spanned several states, United States Attorney William Ihlenfeld announced.

After a three-day trial in October 2021, Sallie was found guilty of one count of “Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute and to Distribute 100 Grams or More of Heroin and 40 Grams or More of Fentanyl,” one count of “Unlawful Use of Communication Facility,” and one count of “Aiding and Abetting Travel Act – Distribution of Proceeds.” Sallie worked with others to distribute 100 grams or more of heroin and 40 grams or more of fentanyl from June 2019 to November 2019 in Berkeley and Jefferson Counties and elsewhere.

Co-conspirators in West Virginia would wire money for drug payments to Sallie and another in Camden, New Jersey.  This trafficking ring involved multiple trips by West Virginia co-conspirators to Camden, New Jersey to obtain large amounts of heroin and fentanyl that were distributed and intended to be redistributed in West Virginia. This case involved nearly 100 grams of fentanyl and more than 137 grams of heroin.

This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Lara Omps-Botteicher and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney C. Lydia Lehman, also with the Berkeley County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, prosecuted the cases on behalf of the government. The FBI; Homeland Security Investigations; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives; and the Eastern Panhandle Drug Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative, investigated. The Berkeley County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office assisted.

U.S. District Judge Gina M. Groh presided.

Find the related press release here: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndwv/pr/25-charged-six-state-drug-conspiracy-involving-heroin-fentanyl-cocaine