A local gang was using a disabled man’s home to run their drug enterprise and store guns, criminal charges claim.
Two guns, armor-piercing ammunition and drugs were found in the Hamilton Township home, police said.
Jermaine Philo and Eric Perez, both 23, are accused of being part of the Kutta gang, which is known to employ juveniles in committing crimes, according to affidavits obtained by BreakingAC.
Philo, of Egg Habor City, and Perez, of Mays Landing, both face drug and weapons charges along with a 15- and 16-year-old.
Police were called to the victim’s residence June 2, for a report of terroristic threats.
The unnamed victim said the Kutta gang took over his home for their illegal activities.
He said Philo threatened to beat him up and kill him.
Philo, Perez and the teens were at the home when police arrived, dressed in clothing and colors associated with the gang, the officer wrote in the affidavit. He did not indicate what those colors are.
The victim gave police written consent to search the home.
That’s when police found a 5.56-caliber AR-style rifle loaded with 17 rounds that included armor-piercing ammunition and a 9mm P80 semi-automatic handgun loaded with 23 rounds that included hollow-point bullets, the affidavit states.
Both weapons had high-capacity magazines capable of holding 30 rounds, the affidavit claims.
There was also a rifle-conversion device commonly used to convert a handgun into a rifle, Assistant Prosecutor Allison Eiselen explained to the judge.
The victim “remains fearful of intimidation and retaliation,” Eiselen said during Perez’s detention hearing Monday.
The argument helped sway Judge William Miller in ordering Perez detained.
Perez’s attorney Margeau Ney said that Kutta is Philo’s rapper name and that her client is his manager.
She also showed the court a screen shot of a firearms purchaser identification card, indicating Perez may have legally owned a gun. He reportedly is holding a gun in one of Kutta’s videos.
But Eiselen argued that the guns seized would likely not be legal in the state under any circumstances.
The judge also questioned if it was still valid, since it was dated April 22, 2021.
Ney said the family was unable to access the actual card, since it was in Perez’s phone, which was confiscated during his arrest.
Philo and Perez remain in the Atlantic County Justice Facility.
The teens are in juvenile detention.
