2 Somerset County men among 9 charged for roles in drug trafficking organization associated with Sex, Money, Murder Street Gang

NEW JERSEY – Two Somerset County men were among nine people who have been charged for their respective roles in a drug trafficking organization that distributed large quantities of fentanyl, heroin, and cocaine in Union County and elsewhere, according to U.S. Attorney Philip Sellinger.

Jerry Ross, 46, of Somerset, Joseph Ross, 42, of Rahway, Luis Delvalle, 41, Pernell White, 36, and Jaquay Bell, 35, all of Piscataway, Andre Gaddy, 31, of North Plainfield, Jacob Douglas, 42, Tarrell Strond, 42, and Tayeire Thomas, 26, all of Plainfield were each charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute fentanyl, heroin, and cocaine.

Six of them were scheduled to appear Thursday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Cathy L. Waldor in Newark federal court. Douglas, White and Thomas remain at large, Sellinger said.

According to the documents filed in this case and statements made in court, they are all members and associates of a drug trafficking organization that operated an open-air narcotics market in and around the area of West 3rd Street in Plainfield.

The organization is affiliated with, and the defendants are members and associates of, the Sex, Money, Murder criminal street gang, which is a set of the Bloods street gang.

For several months, law enforcement conducted extensive surveillance of the area, conducted numerous controlled purchases of narcotics, and analyzed telephone records, all of which demonstrated extensive interactions related to drug trafficking between and among the members or the conspiracy.