Willingboro man admits role in 'extensive' drug network
TRENTON - A Willingboro man has admitted his role in a drug ring that distributed cocaine and crack cocaine in several Burlington County communities.
Herbert "Unc" Mays, 65, was the alleged leader of "an extensive drug-trafficking organization" that operated along the Route 130 corridor from Willingboro to Bordentown Township and into Mercer County, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for New Jersey.
The ring allegedly obtained drugs from suppliers in Philadelphia for sale to distributors, dealers and users, the federal prosecutor's office said.
A criminal complaint in the case alleged Mays stored drugs at his home, where customers sometimes picked up orders from the mailbox.
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It also claimed Mays, in a recorded conversation, refused drugs to a customer without cash by saying, "Can't get no peanut butter if you ain't got no jelly."
Charges in the case covered drug sales from July to September 2019.
Mays pleaded guilty Tuesday to conspiring to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine and more than 280 grams of crack cocaine.
A Philadelphia man, 60-year-old Julius Thigpen, also admitted to conspiring to distribute and to possess with the intent to distribute more than 500 grams of cocaine.
Each man faces a mandatory prison term — 10 years for Mays, five for Thigpen. Their sentences also could include fines and additional prison time, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.
U.S. District Judge Zahid N. Quraishi in Trenton scheduled sentencing for July 20 in Trenton federal court.
Ten other members of the drug trafficking conspiracy previously pleaded guilty. Charges against eight other defendants are pending.
In announcing the pleas, the U.S. Attorney's Office credited local contributions from the Burlington County Prosecutor's Office, as well as police departments in Burlington City, Burlington Township, Edgewater Park, Florence, Westampton and Willingboro.
Jim Walsh covers public safety, economic development and other beats for the Courier-Post, Burlington County Times and The Daily Journal.
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This article originally appeared on Burlington County Times: Willingboro NJ man faces mandatory prison term for drug ring role
