the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Rutherford NJ, a Bergen County, New Jersey, man was sentenced today to 63 months in prison for distributing and conspiring to distribute 50 grams or more of actual methamphetamine, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig announced.
Henry Nieves, 45, of Rutherford, New Jersey, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Katharine S. Hayden to an information charging him with one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute 50 grams or more of actual methamphetamine and one count of distributing and possessing with the intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine. Judge Hayden imposed the sentence today by videoconference.
According to documents filed in these cases and statements made in court:
In September 2019, Nieves distributed and conspired with others to distribute and possess with intent to distribute crystal methamphetamine in New Jersey. In September 2019, law enforcement officers conducted a controlled purchase of methamphetamine from Nieves. Subsequent laboratory testing showed that the substance contained 55.9 grams of pure methamphetamine. This high purity indicates that Nieves distributed crystal methamphetamine, or “ice,” which is a particularly dangerous form of methamphetamine. In September 2019, law enforcement officers observed Nieves engage in other apparent narcotics transactions, and later seized additional amounts of methamphetamine from Nieves’ belongings, vehicle, and apartment. In all, law enforcement seized approximately 86 grams of methamphetamine from Nieves during the investigation.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Hayden sentenced Nieves to three years of supervised release.
Acting U.S. Attorney Honig credited special agents and task force officers of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, New Jersey Division, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Susan A. Gibson in Newark, with the investigation leading to today’s sentencing.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Pesce of the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s OCDETF/Narcotics Unit in Newark.