Kenneth Thompson Jr. (Atlantic County Justice Facility photo)
An Atlantic City man was sentenced to five years in a drug case that led to more than 1,100 bags of heroin.
Kenneth Thompson Jr., 26, was arrested after a car stop Nov. 17, 2023.
Thompson had 200 bags of heroin on him, according to the charges. His passenger, Kareem Ellerbee, was found with 50 bags of heroin, 9 grams of cocaine and more than $1,100 in cash.
Most of the drugs were found in the Caspian Avenue home of Thompson's sister. There, investigators recovered 1,175 bags heroin.
Ellerbee was sentenced last year in several cases, state Department of Corrections records show. His term was seven years with no mandatory minimum. He was paroled in July, just 3½ months after his sentencing.
Thompson's sentence includes a concurrent five-year term on a separate indictment being prosecuted by the Attorney General's Office.
Both men were ordered held in jail following detention hearings shortly after their arrests in November 2023, with the judge going against the public safety assessment that recommended their release.
The men's criminal histories contributed to that decision at the time.
Thompson had pending drug charges at the time of his arrest.
Kareem Ellerbee (N.J. Department of Corrections photo)Ellerbee was released from prison in October 2021, after serving time for six indictable charges and five violations of probation, according to what was presented in court.
He also has a significant juvenile history.
Thompson remains in the Atlantic County Justice Facility pending his transfer to state prison. His time served likely will make him eligible for parole shortly after he is admitted to state prison.
