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Narcisco Ramirez, 46, of Passaic, Kiuny Perez, 42, of Rockaway Township, and Victor Pimentel, 44, of Parsippany, each pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Newark to drug conspiracy in exchange for leniency when they’re sentenced later this year.
All three are looking at a minimum of 10 years each, all of which must be served because there’s no parole in the federal prison system.
The maximum? Life, according to U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito.
It began in November 2017, when authorities investigating a ring that flooded Passaic, Hudson and Morris counties with cocaine said they watched as Ramirez and Perez met at a location in Passaic and exchanged a package.
Later that day, officers stopped Ramirez’s car and found a kilogram of cocaine on the front seat and two more on his right leg and waistband, Carpenito said.
A search of Ramirez’s residence turned up two more kilos of coke and $89,000 in cash, the U.S. attorney added.
Law enforcement officers also stopped Perez’s vehicle and found cocaine in a secret compartment hidden beneath the dashboard, Carpenito said. In Perez’s house, he said, they found $297,350 in drug money.
A search of Pimentel’s residence produced the largest haul – more than 20 kilograms of cocaine, drug paraphernalia and $322,000 in drug cash, Carpenito said.
Several buyers were arrested, as well. SEE: Passaic County Drug Takedown.
After approving the plea deals, U.S. District Judge Claire C. Cecchi scheduled sentencing in her courtroom for June 16 for Perez, June 17 for Ramirez and July 22 for Pimental.
Carpenito credited special agents and task force officers of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, New Jersey Division, and the Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office with the investigation leading to the pleas. He also thanked Clifton police for their assistance.
Handling the case for the government is Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan M. Peck of Carpenito’s Criminal Division in Newark.
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ALSO SEE: Two people – one from Sparta, the other Cliffside Park -- were busted with 37 pounds of pot, three-quarters of a pound of cocaine, some guns and more than $300,000 in drug money, capping a lengthy investigation in Morris, Sussex and Bergen counties, authorities said.
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