August 29, 2018
Man Sentenced to 32 Years for Drug Distribution
Newark — Acting Essex County Prosecutor Robert D. Laurino announced today that Ramon Vega, 58, of Newark was sentenced to 32 years in New Jersey State Prison by the Honorable Martin G. Cronin, Judge of the Superior Court.
In December 2017 Vegas and Aldalberto Garcia, 27, also of Newark, were convicted of 17 counts of conspiracy, drug possession and distribution.
The charges arise from an investigation that ended on Aug, 23, 2016 when Essex County Sheriff’s Department Bureau of Narcotics Detectives executed a search warrant a location in the 200 block of Clifton Avenue and arrested Vega and Garcia, according to Assistant Prosecutor John Anderson, who tried the case with Assistant Prosecutor Sean Dickson.
A 30-count indictment was returned on Oct. 14, 2016 charging Vega and Garcia with conspiracy, multiple counts of possession of narcotics, including ecstasy, oxycodone, tramadol, Xanax, cocaine and marijuana. They were also charged with possessing narcotics with intent to distribute within 1,000 of a school and possession and distribution within 1,000 feet of a public housing complex.
On Dec. 18, 2017 an Essex County jury convicted them on 17 counts.
Garcia is scheduled to be sentenced in October. Vega, who was sentenced yesterday, must serve 16 years before he is eligible for parole. Garcia faces 20 years to life in prison when he is sentenced.
“The sentence is appropriate given his prior record and the fact that this was a substantial narcotics distribution network operating in the North Ward of Newark. This defendant supplied low level drug dealers,’’ said Assistant Prosecutor Dickson.
