Authorities found a hydraulic press, a cutting agent, scales and $30,000 in cash at the home of Jose Fortuna in 2013.
CAMDEN -- A city man and his nephew admitted Tuesday to their roles in supplying heroin to a major city drug ring.
The New Jersey Attorney General's Office said Jose Fortuna, 40, and his 26-year-old nephew Wilson Fortuna pleaded guilty to first-degree drug distribution charges in connection with the Operation China White and Operation 3Ni drug trafficking investigations.
The operations -- joint investigations with the New Jersey State Police, the state's Division of Criminal Justice and U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration -- resulted in the arrest of six city residents, including the Fortunas, in 2013. All six were indicted in 2014 on a range of drug distribution charges.
Cops seek burglar who cut alarm system
Authorities said a search warrant for Jose Fortuna's home on North 41st Street turned up three quarters of a kilo of heroin, a steel hydraulic press, a dietary supplement used to cut the heroin, tools for packaging, a cash counter and $30,000 in cash.
Jose Fortuna pleaded guilty to one first-degree count of maintaining a heroin production facility and one count of first-degree distribution of heroin in connection with both investigations. As part of a plea deal, prosecutors will seek a total sentence of 14 1/2 years in state prison and be ineligible for parole for five years.
Wilson Fortuna pleaded guilty to first-degree distribution of heroin and second-degree conspiracy charges in connection with both operations. His plea deal calls for a total of 11 years in state prison with three years of parole ineligibility.
Charges against a woman living with Jose Fortuna, 38-year-old Jasmine Vallar, are pending.
Michelle Caffrey may be reached at mcaffrey@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @ShellyCaffrey. Find the South Jersey Times on Facebook.