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Leader of Nine Trey Headbustas sentenced to 14 years for murder conspiracy

The gangster who led drug trafficking operations for the Nine Trey Headbustas set of the Bloods in Camden was sentenced to 14 years in state prison Friday for conspiring to murder a gang member.

Juan Vargas, 27, of Philadelphia, the street commander of the Nine Trey Headbustas in Camden, was sentenced by state Superior Court Judge Samuel D. Natal in Camden, state Criminal Justice Director Stephen J. Taylor said.

The sentence includes nearly 12 years of parole ineligibility under the No Early Release Act.

Vargas and Dionicio Adams, 29, of Camden, pleaded guilty on June 7 to first-degree conspiracy to commit murder. In pleading guilty, the men admitted that they plotted to murder another member of the gang, Nathaniel Clay. Investigators learned of the planned shooting and arrested the men before it was carried out.

Adams is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 1. The state will recommend that Adams be sentenced to 10 to 12 years in state prison, of which 85 percent would have to be served without possibility of parole.

Vargas and Adams were indicted on July 8, 2008, along with the gang's top leader, Michael Anderson, and 12 other alleged gang members. The indictment resulted from a joint investigation conducted by the state Division of Criminal Justice and the High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Joint Camden Task Force.

The Nine Trey Headbustas set, which has direct ties to Philadelphia, was dealing large quantities of heroin on Broadway Avenue and on Stevens and Benson Streets in Camden. All of the defendants named in the indictment have pleaded guilty except Anderson, who is incarcerated in New Jersey State Prison in Trenton.

Anderson, 37, holds the title of "Original Original Gangster (OOG)" or "Godfather" of this faction of the Bloods and allegedly exercised leadership authority from prison. Vargas was the hands-on leader of the set's drug operations. Adams was one of three "street supervisors" for the gang. The other two, Nathaniel Clay, 32, and Hector Archival, 22, both of Camden, previously pleaded guilty to racketeering charges.

Anderson is charged with being a leader of a narcotics trafficking network, a crime that carries a sentence of 25 years to life in prison, as well as conspiracy to commit murder.

Vargas, Adams and Clay were arrested on Nov. 29, 2007, as a result of the investigation. Authorities executed search warrants which resulted in the seizure of approximately 500 bags of heroin, about 3 pounds of marijuana, approximately 2.5 ounces of crack cocaine, two handguns and roughly $10,000 in cash.

— TOM HESTER SR., NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM