A Jersey City gang leader received a 22-year sentence today for trafficking heroin and fentanyl in prison, causing an inmate overdose in October 2015, U.S. Attorney Philip Sellinger announced.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
Noel Salgado, also known as “Kuko,” 41, of Jersey City, was convicted of one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute heroin and fentanyl and one count of distribution and possession with intent to distribute heroin and fentanyl, which resulted in serious bodily injury.
This outcome came following a four-day trial in October before U.S. District Judge William J. Martini, who imposed the sentence today in Newark federal court.
While incarcerated at Bayside State Prison, Salgado directed associates to provide narcotics proceeds to him and his associates and to smuggle narcotics into prison to distribute to other inmates.
On Oct. 17, 2015, Salgado called an associate from prison to arrange for the purchase and smuggling into the prison of heroin and fentanyl.
Another conspirator picked up the narcotics and smuggled them to Salgado on October 18th, 2015. The following day, an inmate to whom Salgado had distributed the narcotics was found unresponsive in his cell suffering from a drug overdose.
The inmate stopped breathing on his own and remained unconscious for approximately 20 minutes before medical personnel administered Narcan to revive him. The inmate was hospitalized for two days.
In addition to the prison term, Martini sentenced Salgado to three years of supervised release.
Sellinger credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Michael Messenger, and investigators with the N.J. Department of Corrections, under the direction of Acting Commissioner Victoria L. Kuhn, with the investigation leading to today’s sentencing.
