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Cartagena, who had no criminal record up to then, pleaded guilty in Superior Court in Hackensack this morning to possession of “a first-degree weight” of heroin in Fort Lee on Sept. 29, 2011, and was sentenced to six years in state prison.
Cartagena, his head down, didn’t address Judge Edward Jerejian, who told him he had “the benefit of a very generous plea offer.”
Heroin is a “scourge on society,” Jerejian said, in imposing a sentence with no parole eligibility for 24 months.
Cartagena, who will turn 31 next Thursday, was represented by criminal attorney Remi L. Spencer of Newark.
Cartagena, whose girlfriend and parents were in court, admitted to helping transport more than five ounces of the drug.
Spencer said Cartagena didn’t know how much heroin was in the car when he agreed to help his friend Giovanni Mejia transport a package for $310.
For his part in the crime, Mejia is scheduled to be sentenced Jan. 25. He’s looking at least 10 years under his plea deal, CLIFFVIEW PILOT has learned.
CLIFFVIEW PILOT STORY, PHOTO: Mary K. Miraglia
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