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Tyree Thomas, 29, of Irvington -- known on the street as “Hellboy” -- had two loaded guns to protect the drugs and proceeds in a stash house that was raided after he repeatedly peddled phencyclidine to the agent from the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Philip R. Sellinger said.
Agents seized a 9mm Glock 19 and a .380-caliber Grendel P1O, each loaded with 10 rounds of ammo, according to a complaint on file in U.S. District Court in Newark.
Thomas -- who led Sheedside Pirus and was a high-ranking member of another East Orange Bloods set, MOB Pirus -- already had a lengthy record that included threatening to kill a juvenile and the target's family over two pounds of pot that went missing.
Rather than risk the potential outcome of a trial, he took a deal from the government, pleading guilty to nine counts of an indictment charging him with drug distribution, possessing drugs with the intent to distribute, and possessing two firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking.
Thomas must serve all of the sentence because there's no parole in the federal prison system.
In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Judge Susan D. Wigenton sentenced Thomas to five years of supervised release.
Sellinger credited special agents of the ATF, members of the New Jersey State Police and the New Jersey Department of Corrections with the investigation leading to the plea and sentence, secured by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Olta Bejleri and Megan Linares of the Organized Crime/Gangs Unit in Newark.
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