Accused leader of a drug ring in Jersey City sentenced to 15 years in prison

The accused leader of a drug ring that stretched from Jersey City to Union County was sentenced to 15 years in prison for crimes ranging from narcotics trafficking to aggravated assault, Hudson County District Attorney Esther Suarez said.

Dwight Drew, 35, of Jersey City, pleaded guilty to drug possession with intent to resell, failure to possess a firearm by certain persons and conspiracy to commit aggravated assault.

On Wednesday, Judge John Young of Hudson County Superior Court sentenced him to 15 years in prison for the drug charge, eight years for the weapons charge and seven years for the conspiracy charge. The sentences will be served concurrently.

Drew was one of 23 people arrested in March 2020 during a lengthy investigation that also resulted in the seizure of $360,000 in cash, seven handguns, and a total of half a kilogram of heroin and a quarter kilogram of cocaine.

Drew was identified as one of the leaders of the drug network at the time. He was initially charged with 13 crimes, including conspiracy to commit murder. Most of the charges were dropped as part of the agreement.

“As the sheer volume of drugs, money and weapons seized demonstrates, this network spread violence and fear in the neighborhoods in which it operated,” Suarez said at the time of Drew's arrest.

“Knowing how deadly these drugs and weapons are and the serious negative impact they have on the safety and quality of life of people who live near these locations, we are pleased to have shut down their operations.”

Just six months earlier, Drew and two others were charged with using a Wade Street apartment as a headquarters for their drug trafficking operation, authorities said at the time.