2004 Media Releases:

CAMDEN COUNTY PROSECUTOR'S OFFICE
VINCENT P. SARUBBI, CAMDEN COUNTY PROSECUTOR
MEDIA   INFORMATION

April 20, 2004

Camden County Prosecutor Vincent P. Sarubbi announced today that a long-term investigation into an alleged marijuana distribution ring resulted in the arrests of 12 individuals and the seizure of 20 pounds of marijuana, $50,000 cash and five vehicles.

Dwayne K. Valentine, M/33, of the 4800 block of Creston Avenue in Philadelphia, is charged with being the Leader of a Narcotics Trafficking Network and Conspiracy to Distribute more than five pounds of Marijuana. He is accused of supplying lower level dealers with marijuana brought in from Georgia. He was sent to the Camden County Correctional Facility in lieu of $200,000 bail and faces up to life in New Jersey State Prison if convicted. He was arrested on Friday afternoon, April 16, 2004, at the Motel 6 on Route 73 in Maple Shade, along with two individuals from Conyers, Ga. - Nikola Davis (female) and Jaden Carey (male). Their ages were not immediately available. Davis and Carey are charged with Conspiracy to Distribute more than five pounds of Marijuana and are being held in lieu of $60,000 bail each. They each face up to 10 years in New Jersey State Prison if convicted.

Arrested today at various locations were:

• Dwayne L. Taylor, M/32, of the Timber Creek Condominiums on Laurel Road in Lindenwold
• Joseph Mannino, M/25, of the 200 block of Swarthmore Road in Glassboro
• Anita Hicks, F/31, of the 1500 block of South 10th Street in Camden
• Felicia DeLarge, F/37, of the 1700 block of Ferry Avenue in Camden
• Curtis Jenkins Jr., M/24, of the 1400 block of South 10th Street in Camden
• Roman Thomas, M/40, of the first block of Holyoke Lane in Willingboro
• And Joseph Davy, of the 4200 block of Terrace Avenue in Pennsauken.
  
  

All are charged with Conspiracy to Distribute more than five pounds of Marijuana and were sent to the jail in lieu of $60,000 bail each. They each face up to 10 years in New Jersey State Prison.

In addition, Mark Diedrick, M/27, of the 1400 block of Princess Avenue in Camden, is charged with Conspiracy to Distribute Marijuana as well as Possession of a Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose. He was sent to the jail in lieu of $95,000 bail and faces up to 20 years if convicted.

Also, Jimille Best, F/33, of the first block of Melbourne Lane in Gloucester Township, is charged with Possession of more than 50 grams of Marijuana. Bail was set at 10 percent of $5,000. She faces up to 18 months in prison if convicted.

The five vehicles - a Lincoln Continental (year unknown), a 1993 Chevrolet Silverado, a 1989 Honda Accord, a 1993 Nissan Quest and a 1990 Buick Skylark - were all allegedly used to facilitate the sale of marijuana.

The operation was a cooperative effort of the Philadelphia-Camden High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force (consisting of personnel from the Camden County Prosecutor's Office, Camden Police, New Jersey State Police, New Jersey Division of Criminal Justice, Camden County Sheriff's Department, FBI and DEA), the Camden Anti-Crime Partnership (New Jersey State Police, Camden County Prosecutor's Office, Camden Police, Camden County Sheriff's Office and the Delaware River Port Authority Police), the Burlington County Prosecutor's Office, Gloucester County Prosecutor's Office and police departments from Glassboro, Gloucester Township, Lindenwold, Maple Shade, Oaklyn, Pennsauken, Philadelphia and Winslow.

All persons charged with criminal offenses are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.