Atlantic City, NJ, Man Sentenced to Over 10 Years For Role in Drug-trafficking Ring

Federal authorities say a member of an Atlantic City drug-trafficking ring has been sentenced to over a decade behind bars for conspiring to distribute one kilogram or more of heroin.

U.S. Attorney Philip Sellinger says 32-year-old Terryn Kelsey previously pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute more than one kilogram of heroin.

He was sentenced in Camden federal court on Tuesday to 125 months in prison.

Seventeen other members of the drug trafficking conspiracy have also pleaded guilty. Of those, 15 have been sentenced to prison terms ranging from eight to 135 months. The charges against four other defendants, Jeremy Carll, Valarie Lamar, Tieyesha Tucker, and Jamal Marshall, remain pending.

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Sellinger's office says,

Kelsey, along with leader Khalif Toombs and other members of the drug conspiracy, trafficked heroin from Patterson, New Jersey and into Atlantic City throughout the course of the investigation. Kelsey admitted in court to conspiring with others to traffic between one and three kilograms of heroin during this time and to operating Toombs’ cellular phone to further the conspiracy. The investigation tracked multiple stamps of heroin being distributed by Toombs and others, including, “AK-47,” “Apple,” “Fortnite,” “Rolex,” “Frank Lucas,” “Bentley,” “Pandora,” and “9 ½.”

Authorities say between January, 2017, and June, 2019, those stamps accounted for 48 deaths and 84 non-fatal overdoses in New Jersey.

In addition to the prison term, Kelsey was also sentenced to five years of supervised release.