Camden, NJ man receives prison sentence for selling oxycodone pills across Southern New Jersey

A drug dealer from Camden is on his way to prison after being sentenced for distributing and selling oxycodone pills across South Jersey.

U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said that among the pills that 49-year-old Erick Bell of Camden was selling included high 60 and 80 milligram doses.

Bell, who was just one cog in the drug dealing wheel, previously pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute oxycodone and distributing and possessing with intent to distribute quantities of oxycodone.

In pleading guilty, Attorney Sellinger said that Bell admitted as much saying he was a middleman bringing in sellers looking to divert and deal their own prescriptions -- between January of 2020 and March of 2020 -- to other pill dealers and among them is Rocco DePoder of Gloucester City.

Collectively, they set out to distribute oxycodone pills all across Gloucester City and Camden as well.

Get our free mobile app

Attorney Sellinger said that Bell also admitted during that same time frame to getting 160 80 milligram oxycodone pills from a conspirator.

He then turned around and sold 60 of those pills to DePoder for $25.00 each and then 100 of the pills to another dealer/buyer for $24.00 each.

For his role in the drug operation, Bell has been sentenced to three-years in prison (36-months), along with three-years of supervised release from custody.

For his role in the drug operation, DePoder was sentenced back on October 8, 2021, to nearly six-years (70 months) in prison.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sara F. Merin of the Special Prosecutions Division in Newark.

Defense counsel: Lori M. Koch Esq., Assistant Federal Public Defender, Camden.