Convicted drug dealer may face life in prison

RED BANK- A35-year-old Red Bank man could face life in prison after being convicted of maintaining and operating a crack cocaine production facility, according to theMonmouth County Prosecutor's Office.

A Monmouth County jury convicted Diron Wright, of Red Bank, of three counts of third-degree possession of a controlled dangerous substance (CDS), three counts of second degree possession of a CDS with intent to distribute, three counts of second degree distribution of a CDS and one first degree count of maintaining and operating a CDS production facility March 4, according to a press release from the Prosecutor's Office.

The evidence presented during a three-day trial before Superior Court Judge Bette E. Uhrmacher revealed that on the dates of Dec. 11, 2003, March 11, 2004, andApril 1, 2004,Wright sold crack cocaine to an undercover DEA agent, according to the release.

Wright conducted all the sales from his rented apartment at 211 First Ave. in Asbury Park. During one of these transactions, the undercover DEAagent observed Wright cooking crack-cocaine in his kitchen, according to the prosecutor's office.

"This office will come down hard on those contributing to this county's drug problem.Mr.Wright did not just sell these drugs - he actively created the crack cocaine - which he sold in the community. This verdict and substantial period of incarceration will send a message to those dealing drugs that we will not let the future of our community be poisoned by the effects of drugs," said Monmouth County Prosecutor Luis A. Valentin.

Wright is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Uhrmacher April 11.

As a result of his prior criminal convictions, Wright faces a mandatory extended term of incarceration on the first-degree charge of up to life imprisonment with 25 years in jail before he is eligible for parole, according to the Prosecutor's Office. He also faces a maximum sentence of 10 years imprisonment on each of the second-degree charges and a maximum of five years on the possession charges.

Wright is currently serving a 14-year state prison sentence with a 69-month period of parole ineligibility for the seconddegree crime of possession of cocaine with the intent to distribute, according to the release.

"Under New Jersey state law there is a presumption that the defendant will receive a consecutive sentence when he is sentenced on April 11, 2008," according to the press release.