N.J. 'Medicine Boyz' Busted for Illegal Drug Ring

NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- An illegal prescription drug operation in Newark has been busted by an anti-gang task force, the Essex County prosecutor's office said.

"Operation Medicine Boyz" involved the bribing by "runners" of medicaid patients for their painkiller prescriptions for drugs such as Oxycontin, Xanax, Percoset and Tussionex. In return, the patients were given cash or heroin. The "runners" then sold the drugs to "buyers" for cash, who then resell the drugs to street drug buyers for a profit, according to the prosecutor's office.

The scheme is alleged to have made approximately $250,000 of drug sales in the past year, which is when the investigation began, according to Essex County Prosecutor Detective Dante Pasquale.

Informants led authorities from the Federal Anti-Gang Partnership, which used undercover detectives to infiltrate the group, Prosecutor Paula Dow said.

Four suspects are in custody, while three remain at large. Arrested were George Coleman, 38, of East Orange; Jason Evans, 32, of Newark; Barry Williams, 52, of Newark; and Mahajir Salaam, 23, of Newark. Maurice Gaskins, 26, of East Orange; Kassan Bellamy, 25, of East Orange; and Lonnie Miller, 38, of Newark, remain at large.

Gaskins, the head of the scheme, is accused of making two sales to undercover officers within 1,000 feet of a school. Bellamy is accused of selling 90 pills of Percocet during an undercover investigation and Miller is accused of distributing 39 tablets of Percocet in another sale, Pasquale said.

Coleman was arrested May 14 at his residence, and confiscated a loaded 9 mm gun, $11,000 worth of Oxycodone and $5,100 in cash, the prosecutor's office said. Coleman faces multiple charges of possession of narcotics, distributing drugs and weapons-related offenses. His bail was been set at $250,000.

Williams was charged with possession of a controlled dangerous substance (CDS) with intent to distribute. Evans was charged with possession of 60 Xanax pills and selling narcotics within 1,000 feet of a school. Mahajir was already in custody on unrelated drug charges, and was charged with selling 80 Xanax tablets to an undercover detective.

The Essex/Federal Gang Suppression Partnership consists of detectives from the Essex County Prosecutor's Office, Newark Police Department, Essex County Sheriff's Office, Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE), ATF, DEA, and FBI.

Suspect flow chart provided by the Essex County Prosecutor's Office.

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