For his part in a massive drug trafficking network that saw drugs trafficked from the West Coast and peddled in New Jersey and Long Island, American rapper Fetty Wap was given a six-year prison sentence.
The rapper, whose true name is Willie Junior Maxwell II, was found guilty of conspiring to distribute cocaine and punished in Central Islip, New York, federal court.
Maxwell, a resident of Paterson, New Jersey, was first detained in October 2021 on suspicion of taking part in a heroin, fentanyl, and other narcotics smuggling operation.
In August, he entered a guilty plea to the primary allegation of conspiring to distribute and possess cocaine-related prohibited drugs. A mandatory minimum prison term of five years was imposed for the offense.
The rapper, who is widely known for his 2015 single “Trap Queen,” expressed regret in front of the jury. “I hurt my community, people who look up to me, my family, and myself,” he claimed. “I sincerely apologize for any harm I may have caused.”
When pronouncing Maxwell’s punishment, Judge Joanna Seybert said, “Despite your background and all you overcame, you threw it all away.”
Maxwell received a sentence of five years of post-release supervision in addition to six years in federal prison. His lawyers have been contacted by NBC News for comment.
According to the prosecution, Maxwell used his notoriety and power to “glamorize the drug trade.” They requested that he serve a sentence that was greater than the minimum.
They said that the musician rose to fame by writing songs about his experiences manufacturing crack cocaine and dealing drugs. Prosecutors emphasized that in the “Trap Queen” video, young children can be seen standing behind him as he “idealized selling drugs.”
According to authorities, Maxwell is suspected of being a part of a group that supplied more than 100 kilograms of cocaine, heroin, fentanyl, and crack cocaine across Long Island and New Jersey between June 2019 and June 2020.
The group allegedly bought the drugs on the West Coast and sent them across the country to Suffolk County for storage via the mail service and drivers who had vehicles with secret compartments. Prosecutors claimed that the drugs were then given to dealers who then sold them on Long Island and New Jersey.
According to the prosecution, Maxwell worked as a “kilogram-level redistributor” for the group.
In the course of the investigation, investigators seized $1.5 million in cash, 16 kilograms of cocaine, 2 kilograms of heroin, countless fentanyl pills, as well as a number of weapons and ammunition. Five of the defendants in the case, according to the prosecution, utilized firearms to safeguard the drug distribution network and organization.
Six individuals were accused in total with participating in the conspiracy; four have already entered guilty pleas and are awaiting punishment. Anthony Cyntje, a prisons officer from New Jersey, was one of the defendants who received a sentence of 72 months in jail for his part in the conspiracy in March.
