The man also was sentenced on a firearms charge, the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office said.
Karen Wall, Patch Staff
TOMS RIVER, NJ — A Lakewood man has been sentenced to 12 years in prison for distributing heroin in Ocean County, the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office said Friday.
Kyree Kennedy, 28, was sentenced by Superior Court Judge Kimarie Rahill for his guilty plea to possession of more than 5 ounces of heroin with intent to distribute in incidents between December 2023 and March 2024 in Lakewood, Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said.
Rahill also sentenced Kennedy to five years in prison with five years of parole ineligibility for pleading guilty to being a certain person not to possess a firearm in connection with the same investigation, the prosecutor's office said.
Kennedy pled guilty before Rahill on March 3.
From December 2023 through March 2024, a joint investigation including local, county, state and federal authorities into drug and firearms distribution in the Ocean County area identified multiple locations in Lakewood that Kennedy and five co-defendants were using to store and distribute firearms, heroin/fentanyl, and crack cocaine in Ocean County.
Find out what's happening in Lakewoodfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Authorities also found Kennedy had distributed about 60 bricks of heroin/fentanyl, as well as a handgun.
He was arrested on March 28, 2024, at a home on Cedar Bridge Avenue in Lakewood and authorities seized 145 bricks of heroin/fentanyl, a quarter pound of marijuana, assorted drug paraphernalia, and $2,800 in cash.
Also arrested at the Cedar Bridge Avenue home was Kammani Wilson, 27, of Manchester Township.
Search warrants were executed that day, March 28, at three other homes in Lakewood.
At a home on River Avenue, detectives seized about 14 grams of crack cocaine, assorted drug paraphernalia, a firearms suppressor, 43 rounds of 9mm ammunition, and $3,800 in cash and arrested Shakira Hill, 36, of Brick Township, the prosecutor's office said.
At a home on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard detectives seized about 6 grams of crack cocaine and assorted drug paraphernalia and arrested Tymir Bergstrom, 23, of Lakewood, and Tyquan Jones, 31, of Whiting, the prosecutor's office said.
At another home on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard detectives seized about two bricks of heroin and assorted drug paraphernalia, and arrested Miguel Gonzales, 54, of Lakewood, the prosecutor's office said.
Kennedy has been held in the Ocean County Jail since his arrest.
The charges against the others remain pending, the prosecutor's office said.
Wilson was charged with possession of more than 5 ounces of heroin with intent to distribute, conspiracy to distribute more than 5 ounces of heroin, possession of more than 1 ounce but less than 5 pounds of marijuana with intent to distribute, possession of heroin, and possession of drug paraphernalia. He was taken to the jail but released as a consequence of New Jersey Bail Reform, the prosecutor's office said.
Hill was charged with possession of more than one-half ounce but less than 5 ounces of cocaine with intent to distribute, conspiracy to distribute more than 5 ounces of heroin, possession of cocaine, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of a firearms suppressor, and financial facilitation. She was taken to the jail but released as a consequence of New Jersey Bail Reform.
Jones was charged with possession of less than one-half ounce of cocaine with intent to distribute, possession of cocaine, conspiracy to distribute more than 5 ounces of heroin, and possession of drug paraphernalia. He was taken to the jail but released as a consequence of New Jersey Bail Reform.
Bergstrom was charged with possession of less than one-half ounce of cocaine with intent to distribute, possession of cocaine, conspiracy to distribute more than 5 ounces of heroin, and possession of drug paraphernalia. He was served with the charges via summons pending future court appearances.
Gonzales was charged with possession of less than one-half ounce of heroin with intent to distribute, possession of heroin, conspiracy to distribute more than 5 ounces of heroin, and possession of drug paraphernalia. He was served with the charges via summons pending future court appearances.