Egg Harbor Township Man Sentenced For Narcotics, Firearms Charges

Sunday, November 24, 2024, 7:45 A.M. ET. 2 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,

EGG HARBOR, NJ.- On Tuesday, November 19, 2024, David Thomas, 28, of Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey, appeared in Atlantic County Superior Court and was sentenced by Superior Court Judge Donna M. Taylor to ten years in New Jersey State Prison with a parole ineligibility of 5 years, on his previously entered guilty pleas to narcotics, firearms, and money laundering offenses.

     Thomas had previously appeared in Atlantic County Superior Court and pleaded guilty before Judge Taylor to first-degree Maintaining a Narcotics Production Facility, second-degree Possession of an Assault Firearm, third-degree Money Laundering, third-degree Endangering the Welfare of a Child, and second-degree Certain Persons Not to Possess Weapons.

     In handing down the sentence on Friday, Judge Taylor also ordered Thomas to forfeit all the weapons, drug paraphernalia, and $4,508.00 in U.S. currency seized during the investigation.

According To The Prosecutor’s Office

     According to Atlantic County Prosecutor William E. Reynolds, this case is a result of a narcotics investigation into Thomas’s drug distribution activities. The investigation uncovered that Thomas was utilizing a residence in Egg Harbor Township to distribute heroin.

     On March 5, 2020, Detectives obtained and executed a court-authorized search warrant at the Egg Harbor Township residence. During the search, Detectives found and seized over a half-ounce of unpackaged heroin, numerous wax folds containing heroin, empty bags used for packaging heroin, a sifter used to mix a cutting agent with heroin, an AK-47-style assault rifle, an extended ammunition magazine, and crack cocaine. All of the seized items were found in Thomas’s bedroom. 

     Detectives also seized digital scales used to weigh narcotics for street-level sales. During his plea allocation, Thomas admitted that all the items seized belonged to him. All the items were also located in the residence where an 8-year-old resided and had access to the items.

     Thomas has a prior felony conviction for aggravated assault, which would prohibit him from owning or possessing a firearm or ammunition. During Friday’s hearing, Judge Taylor also sentenced Thomas to a concurrent five-year term for the charge of second-degree Conspiracy to Engage in Official Misconduct.

     That case involved two family members of Thomas working with an Atlantic County Corrections Officer to smuggle cell phones into the Atlantic County Justice Facility, where Thomas was lodged in exchange for money. The family members and Thomas were captured on recorded conversations discussing the crime, with video surveillance capturing the Corrections Officer bringing and handing off an object to Thomas.