BRUNSWICK COUNTY — A New Jersey woman will serve at least 15 years in prison for using children to traffick heroin into Brunswick County.
Cherelle Renee Hills, 37, was convicted late last month on three counts of trafficking heroin, possession with the intent to manufacture, sell and deliver heroin, crack cocaine, suboxone, and spice (synthetic cannabinoids). She was sentenced to between 180 and 234 months (15 and 19.5 years).
When the Brunswick County Special Operations Unit conducted a search of Hills’ three-row van, officers discovered over 2,300 individual doses of heroin in children’s snack boxes. During the search, officers uncovered 120 doses of crack cocaine, Suboxone, and spice.
Two small children and two adult men were also in the vehicle when it was stopped on Highway 17 traveling south through Leland in March 2018.
The children were not related to any of the adults in the vehicle.
“Regrettably, this was not the first case where children have been used in Brunswick County to traffic heroin,” Assistant District Attorney Chris Thomas said in a release. “I hope the sentence imposed in this case will deter those who attempt similar tactics, but also deter anyone who chooses to bring this poison to our community.”
The investigation originated out of the Sunset Beach Police Department. Later, Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation joined in to uncover a network of heroin trafficking. Heroin was being trafficked from Camden, New Jersey, to Brunswick County, including other areas in between, Brunswick County District Attorney’s press release states.
According to the release, Hill and her codefendants were the first defendants held under the District’s one million dollar bond policy for heroin dealers. Hill was convicted after a four-day jury trial that ended Jan. 25, presided over by Superior Court Judge Ronald Stephens.
“We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to help those who are battling addiction but also wage a war against those individuals that profit on the backs of their misery,” Thomas said.
