Alleged Gang Leader Arrested In Connection With Camden Drug Trafficking Operation

CAMDEN, N.J. – Special agents of the Drug Enforcement Administration Camden High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) Task Force arrested an alleged gang leader in Camden this morning for his charged involvement with an illegal drug trafficking operation, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.

Tyrone Tyson, 38, is charged by criminal complaint with knowingly and intentionally distributing, and possessing with the intent to distribute, 100 grams or more of a mixture or substance containing heroin. He is expected to appear this afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Joel Schneider in Camden federal court.

According to the complaint unsealed today:

In late July 2013, members of the Camden HIDTA Task Force conducted an investigation into Tyson’s drug trafficking activities – using surveillance, undercover officers, confidential informants, audio recordings and controlled drug purchases – which revealed Tyson was selling heroin in the area of 153 North 32nd Street in Camden. During the investigation, Tyson sold heroin to an undercover law enforcement agent on two occasions.

Tyson is a leader of the “Fruit Town Brims” set of the Bloods street gang and controls the gang’s activities in New Jersey.

The count with which Tyson is charged carries a minimum potential penalty of five years in prison and a maximum potential penalty of 40 years in prison and a $5 million fine, subject to enhancements based on criminal history and other factors.

U.S. Attorney Fishman credited special agents of the New Jersey DEA, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Carl J. Kotowski; Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Andrew M. McLees; the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Prosecutor Warren W. Faulk; the Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Prosecutor Sean F. Daulton; and the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Prosecutor Robert D. Bernardi, with the investigation leading to today’s arrest.

He also thanked officers of the Camden County Sheriff’s Department, the Delaware River Port Authority Police, the Gloucester City Police Department, the Westampton New Jersey Police Department, the Monroe Township Police Department and the Washington Township Police Department for taking part in the investigation and the arrest.

The government is represented by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Ira Slovin of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Criminal Division in Camden.

The charges and allegations contained in the complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.

This case was developed through the work of the Camden Collaborative Crime Commission (C-4). Every federal, state and local law enforcement agency and prosecutor’s office responsible for combating drug trafficking, gang activity and violent crime in Camden has come together in one location to share intelligence, develop investigative strategies and support the investigative and prosecutorial efforts of its partners. C-4 has merged the individual missions of the various law enforcement agencies into a single strategic attack on drug trafficking and drug-related violent crime. Such intense coordination greatly enhances the law enforcement community’s ability to correctly identify and successfully prosecute the most dangerous criminals in one of our nation’s most dangerous cities.

           
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Defense counsel: Assistant Federal Public Defender Lisa M. Koch Esq., Camden                                                                                              

Tyson Complaint