An Atlantic City man admitted Friday that he led a drug-trafficking ring that resulted in three fentanyl-related deaths in 2017.
George Stokes faces 20 years in prison when he is sentenced under a plea agreement that will also give him 90 days of release on GPS monitoring before he heads to prison.
Stokes, now 44, has been in jail since Dec. 6, 2017.
He and nine others were eventually charged as being part of the organization the Newark native ran. He admitted to supplying dealers with heroin and cocaine.
“I would get (the drugs) from my hometown, I would come back to Atlantic City and several people who did drugs would sell them for me on my behalf,” Stokes said during the plea.
He also gave them cell phones for the enterprise.
As for payment, “they would take their portion of their cut from the drugs they sold,” Stokes said.
Stokes also admitted to providing drugs to three dealers that then resulted in the deaths of Hector Santos, William Ang Jr. and Caroline Boothby.
On March 19, 2017, Stokes said he gave drugs to Angel Cruz that led to the overdose death of Santos, who died at his Atlantic City home.
Cruz was not charged with the death, but is serving a three-year sentence on drug charges. His maximum release date is April 19, 2023.
Stokes said he provided heroin with fentanyl to Jesus Baker on June 2, 2017.
Those drugs made their way to Ang, who died in his Somers Point home.
Baker is serving a five-year sentence for the drug-induced death under the No Early Release Act. He was sentenced in this past July, but time served since his 2017 arrest has him eligible for parole this Nov. 24. His maximum release date is May 28, 2025.
The third death was Boothby, who was given the drugs by Philip Eldred, who pleaded guilty in 2018, and was sentenced to seven years in prison.
His maximum release date is Nov. 17, 2023.
Stokes asked the judge if he could get a copy of the evidence against him before his 90-day release upon sentencing.
He then asked if the waiving of his right to appeal was only for the plea agreement, to which Judge William Miller told him yes.
Stokes’ sentencing is set for Jan. 11.
He faces 20 years flat for the leading a drug-trafficking network, meaning there is no minimum for that sentence.
He then faces three concurrent 10-year sentences for each of the drug-induced deaths. He must serve at least 85 percent of that under the No Early Release Act, or 8½ years.
Stokes was originally indicted on 29 charges. His plea means the rest will be dropped, including weapons offenses.
Stokes was the target of a shooting Nov. 3, 2017, in Atlantic City, but was not struck.
Ten people who allegedly worked for a drug-ring run by an Atlantic City man charged in three drug deaths have been indicted.Five of them are also charged with drug-inducted death strict liability.George Stokes allegedly ran the narcotics-trafficking network that has been linked to the fentanyl-related deaths of Hector Santos, William Ang and Caroline Boothby, Atlantic County Prosecutor … Read more
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