“Small" Wasn't Small At All ”

           December 5, 2007 began as a normal day for Rasheem “Rosco” Small, a 30-year-old Newark man. That was until Agents from the Drug Enforcement Administration swooped in and culminated a three year investigation into a major North Jersey heroin trafficking ring.
           The DEA estimated that Small and several other leaders of the ring, that operated in Essex and Union counties, flooded the streets with $2 million of heroin monthly and then laundered the profits through Atlantic City casinos, sham businesses, real estate deals and through the purchase of high end luxury vehicles.
           Small had begun his drug dealing days in Pennsylvania, but he then moved in to take over the heroin trade in the City of Newark after Hakeem Curry, a former drug kingpin, was arrested in 2004. Within one year, Small’s operation was distributing 2,000 “bricks” of heroin every few days.
           Both Small and his top lieutenant and “operations manager,” Abdullah Meyers, 33, used the profits from the city’s premier heroin ring to finance their lavish lifestyles, which included driving $100,000+ cars, expensive jewelry, big-money gambling and having multiple million dollar bank accounts. All while having no legitimate source of income.
           Small’s organization literally laundered approximately $7 million in drug profits through a shell trucking and home improvement companies to purchase real estate in Newark and East Orange.
           Small was also a "frequent visitor and 'high-roller' in Atlantic City," buying more than $3.1 million in casino chips between 2003 and 2006. He also handed cash to his deputies, who would later cash the chips in as winnings to "wash" the drug money.
           But it was eventually the success of Small’s organization and their spending that led to their dismantling by Agents.
           Agents from the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Internal Revenue Service, along with officers from the New Jersey State Police and Newark Police Department used wiretaps and several individuals with personal knowledge of Small’s organization to conduct the investigation.
           Small and Meyers were ultimately charged with conspiracy to distribute one kilogram or more of heroin, and conspiracy to conceal drug proceeds. They both potentially face life terms in federal prison.
           The NJNEOA commends those individuals from the DEA, IRS, NJSP and Newark PD who were involved in this lengthy investigation. It is because of their dedication and hard work that the City of Newark is rid of one of its largest illicit drug organizations.