Atlantic City Man Sentenced For Leading A Drug Trafficking Network

Wednesday, October 8, 2025, 7:30 A.M. ET. 2 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,

ATLANTIC CITY, NJ.- On Monday, a 40-year-old Atlantic City, New Jersey, drug kingpin learned he will be spending nearly three decades in New Jersey State Prison, after being sentenced for leading a drug trafficking network that was responsible for distributing large quantities of crack cocaine and deadly fentanyl throughout the streets of Atlantic City.

     According to Atlantic County Prosecutor William E. Reynolds, on Monday, October 6, 2025, Joseph Suarez, 40, of Atlantic City, New Jersey, appeared in Atlantic County Superior Court and was sentenced to 28 years in State Prison, subject to a mandatory minimum of 14 years before becoming eligible for parole after pleading guilty to Leader of a Drug Trafficking Network; and Possession of a Firearm for an Unlawful Purpose.

Guilty Plea And Sentence Are The Result Of “Operation Florida Keys”

     The guilty plea and sentence stem from an investigation, when on November 14, 2022, during an extensive illicit narcotics investigation, members of the Atlantic City Police Department, the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office, and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration executed 20 court-authorized search warrants at various locations in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

     The warrants were the result of a wiretap investigation dubbed “Operation Florida Keys” in connection with the distribution of large quantities of illicit narcotics. The investigation focused on Joseph and Justin Suarez‘s control of the narcotics trade on the Unit Block of South Florida Avenue in Atlantic City, New Jersey. In all, Investigators seized around 40,642 single-dose wax folds of fentanyl, 5.6 ounces of crack cocaine, over $85,000 in U.S. currency, and two handguns.

     During the Investigation, Investigators determined that Joseph Suarez was responsible for coordinating deliveries of large quantities of crack cocaine and fentanyl to South Florida Avenue from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and the Bronx, New York. In addition, Joseph Suarez also supplied and oversaw numerous co-conspirators who stored and sold crack cocaine and fentanyl on his behalf.

     Joseph Suarez’s twin brother, Justin Suarez, is expected to be sentenced later this month after also pleading guilty to being the Leader of a Drug Trafficking Network and Possession of a Handgun for an Unlawful Purpose. in return for Justin’s guilty plea, the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office will be recommending that Justin Suarez be sentenced to 25 years in New Jersey State Prison.