May.04, 2010, 5:06 PM
It took a round-the-clock wiretap investigation, an international manhunt and a deal with prosecutors to get Alejandro Cleves to admit in court this week that he was the kingpin of a multi-million dollar Union County heroin ring, authorities said.
The handcuffed, 30-year-old defendant took a plea deal before Superior Court Judge Scott Moynihan on Monday, admitting his role as the leader of a narcotics trafficking network that allegedly funneled millions in drugs from Colombia into the United States. Cleves faces 32 years behind bars when sentenced on July 23.
The drug trafficker is accused of using the distributors he met while living in Elizabeth to channel upwards of 250 kilos of heroin — each with a street value of about $1 million — into Union and Essex counties, as well as New York and Pennsylvania, said the Union County Prosecutor, Theodore Romankow.
Cleves, who was charged with racketeering, money laundering and heroin distribution, had faced up to 170 years in prison before being offered a deal by prosecutors.
He was awaiting trial in Union County after being arrested by Colombian officials in August 2008, following three years on the lam.
The prosecutor, who had displayed a photo of Cleves on his office dart board, said the drug trafficker’s guilty plea "has been a long time coming."
"A lot of manpower went into the capture of Alejandro Cleves," Romankow said. "I am pleased that he will spend a significant amount of time in jail for his crimes."
It was in early 2005 that authorities first identified Cleves as a supplier, by using a series of wiretaps. An investigation that began as a surveillance of two telephones extended to 54 telephones over four months, monitored by more than 60 detectives from federal, state and local agencies.
Detectives said they learned from the wiretaps that at least four or five major traffickers in Union and Essex counties were receiving heroin shipments from Cleves.
When investigators raided Cleves’ mother’s house in Union Township, they reportedly discovered a stash of more than $300,000 in cash. His mother, Nidia Roldan, later pleaded guilty to money laundering.
The wiretap investigation also resulted in the indictments of 20 others, including two State Police troopers who were ultimately convicted of charges including official misconduct, money laundering and drug distribution. Moises Hernandez was sentenced to 24 years in prison, and Brian Holmes was sentenced to 14 years.