3 More Admit Roles In Drug Ring Run By Atlantic City Gang

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — Three more people have admitted roles in a heroin ring that authorities say was run by a street gang that used threats, intimidation and violence to maintain control of Atlantic City's illegal drug trade.

Federal prosecutors say 31-year-old Franklin Simms and 34-year-old Rayshell Strong, both of Atlantic City, and 31-year-old Latasha Cherry, of Millville, entered their pleas Friday.

Simms and Strong admitted that from October 2012 through March 2013, they conspired to distribute between 400 and 700 grams of heroin. Cherry admitted that she conspired with others to launder some of the ring's proceeds by transferring cash onto reloadable prepaid debit cards.

Prosecutors say the three were members of a street gang known as "Dirty Block," ''Crime Fam," ''3.6.6.12," or "3.6." They say the gang controlled heroin sales through gun violence, including at least one homicide.

(Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)