Drug traffickers get lengthy prison terms for Atlantic City cocaine bust

On Friday, two drug traffickers from Texas were sentenced to state prison for a five-kilo cocaine bust that took place in Atlantic City last year.

Esiquio Salgado, 34, was sentenced to 12 years in state prison, including five years of parole ineligibility. Cristano Ramirez, 31, was sentenced to 10 years in prison, including three years of parole ineligibility. Both defendants pleaded guilty in June to first-degree possession of cocaine with intent to distribute.

In October 2016, the two were arrested after authorities learned that they were dealing kilogram quantities of cocaine in South Jersey. The suspects were arrested after completing a five-kilo deal, a street value in Atlantic City of roughly $230,000.

"Over the past six years, the Atlantic City Task Force has made hundreds of arrests of drug dealers and violent felons, seizing guns and large quantities of narcotics," said Attorney General Porrino. "This is another example of the excellent work they are doing to protect the people of Atlantic City and the surrounding communities."

"We've ensured that these major drug traffickers will spend a long time behind bars, where they can no longer fuel addiction and violence in our communities," said Director Elie Honig of the Division of Criminal Justice. "I commend the Atlantic City Task Force and its federal partners for this bust and all of the proactive work they do to target drug dealing and violent crime in the region."

Since its inception in 2011, the Atlantic City Task Force has made more than 965 arrests and executed over 100 search warrants. The task force has seized nearly 100 guns and approximately 12 kilos of heroin, 13 kilos of cocaine and almost half a million dollars.