TOMS RIVER — A 28-year-old Neptune man, implicated in what authorities allege was a joint venture between the mob and the Bloods street gang to smuggle contraband into East Jersey State Prison, has pleaded guilty to a disorderly persons offense that was downgraded from an indictable drug charge in an unrelated case.

Dwayne Spears of Mayfair Lane pleaded guilty Friday to wandering to obtain a controlled dangerous substance.

Spears entered his plea before Superior Court Judge Barbara Ann Villano, who fined the defendant $125, said Spears' attorney, Michael A. Grasso.

Assistant Ocean County Prosecutor Christine Lento agreed to downgrade the charge from possession of a controlled dangerous substance with the intent to distribute it, an indictable offense carrying a potential prison term up to five years, in exchange for Grasso withdrawing a motion to suppress evidence, Grasso said.

It was claimed in the motion that police unlawfully obtained 201 bags of heroin that were to be used as evidence in the case.

The evidence was seized Aug. 30 during a traffic stop in Jackson, Grasso said.

Spears was free on bail on the drug charge when he was arrested again Dec. 18 during statewide raids that capped an investigation into gambling and contraband smuggling. He was released from custody later that month after posting a $275,000 property bond, Grasso said. State authorities said their investigation and raids broke up a $2.2 billion gambling operation and also revealed an alliance between traditional organized crime and the Nine Trey Gangsters set of the Bloods street gang.

The prison smuggling aspect of the case was said to have involved Spears' brother, Edwin Spears, 33, of Neptune, a reputed "five-star general" with the Nine Trey Gangsters set, authorities said.

Edwin Spears, who had been imprisoned at East Jersey State Prison in Woodbridge, is alleged to have formed an alliance with members of the Lucchese crime family to smuggle drugs and prepaid cell phones into the prison, authorities said. A state corrections officer assisted in the scheme, authorities have alleged.

Edwin Spears has since been transferred to Northern State Prison in Newark.

The state has alleged that Lucchese crime family operatives gave money to Dwayne Spears, who then obtained heroin, cocaine, marijuana and prepaid cell phones to smuggle into East Jersey State Prison.

Edwin Spears is alleged to have secured orders from prisoners for the drugs and telephones, which are useful to convicts because they enable communication that is not monitored by prison staff.

The Spears brothers and others involved in the alleged smuggling scheme face pending charges of racketeering, conspiracy to distribute controlled dangerous substances, bribery and money laundering


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