Miami man convicted on multiple drug charges
Met in Harrison hotel room to cut, repackage and distribute cocaine
NEWARK - Barrington Delisser, of Miami was convicted Monday for his role in a conspiracy to distribute cocaine in Hudson County, N.J., and elsewhere, following an investigation conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
The jury returned a guilty verdict following a six-day trial before U.S. District Judge Dennis M. Cavanaugh in Newark federal court. Delisser was convicted of both counts of the two-count superseding Indictment: conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine; and the substantive charge of distribution and possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine.
"The distribution and sale of drugs in our communities will not be tolerated," said Peter T. Edge, special agent in charge of ICE HSI in Newark. "Bringing criminals who engage in this activity to justice is a top HSI priority."
Delisser and two co-conspirators traveled to Harrison, N.J., on September 1, 2009. Once in New Jersey, the men had a pre-arranged meeting with an individual who provided them with 10 kilograms of cocaine, at a wholesale value of approximately $300,000. The three men returned to their hotel room in Harrison where they cut, repackaged and distributed the cocaine over the course of several days. They were arrested by HSI agents on September 12, 2009.
Agents discovered nearly a kilogram of cocaine and $2,000 in cash in the vehicle in which the men were traveling, as well as numerous incriminating items in the hotel room where the men were staying in New Jersey, including: air freshener devices used to conceal the smell of the cocaine, counterfeit detection pens used to check the currency received in exchange for the cocaine, and a manual for an electronic scale the men used to weigh the cocaine.
The counts on which Delisser was convicted each carry a statutory minimum sentence of five years and a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison, and a $250,000 fine. Delisser will be sentenced on a date to be determined.
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