First Assistant Prosecutor Michael T. Nolan, Jr. announced that on August, 11, 2020, Jahmal Jones, 34, of Brick Township, pled guilty to Possession of more than One Ounce of Marijuana with Intent to Distribute in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:35-5b(11), as well as being a Certain Person Not to Possess a Firearm in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:39-7b, before the Honorable Rochelle Gizinski, J.S.C. At the time of sentencing, the date of which has yet to be determined, the State will be seeking seven years New Jersey State Prison (NJSP) with a forty-two month period of parole ineligibility relative to the narcotics charge, and five years NJSP with no parole eligibility as to the firearms charge. The sentences are to run concurrently.

These charges resulted from an investigation by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Narcotics Strike Force spanning the months of July and August in 2018. On August 28, 2018, Detectives executed search warrants upon Jones’ residence and vehicle in Brick Township, at which time they seized a significant amount of Marijuana, drug paraphernalia indicative of distribution purposes, $3,800 in cash, and a Smith & Wesson .38 caliber handgun.

In addition to the aforementioned guilty pleas, Jones also pled guilty before Judge Gizinski on two unrelated indictments charging him with Possession of more than One Ounce of Marijuana with Intent to Distribute in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:35-5b(11). These charges arose out of two separate arrests – both in January 2019 – by the Barnegat Township Police Department Crime Reduction Unit and the Lakewood Township Police Department Street Crimes Unit. The State will be recommending three years NJSP as to each charge, with all sentences to run concurrently.