Defendant in Largest Methamphetamine Seizure in New Jersey History Admits to Drug Distribution Conspiracy

CAMDEN, N.J. - An Illinois man admitted to conspiring to distribute over 260 pounds of methamphetamine into New Jersey-the largest seizure of methamphetamine in the state's history-U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer announced today.

Marcos Cesar Acosta, 47, most recently of Chicago, Illinois, pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Karen M. Wiliams in Camden federal court to a one-count Information charging him with conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine.

According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:

On April 28, 2026, Acosta traveled to New Jersey to supervise the delivery of hundreds of pounds of methamphetamine coming into the state by truck. That evening, after the truck arrived in New Jersey loaded with the methamphetamine, law enforcement officers arrested Acosta and another co-conspirator. Law enforcement seized three black storage boxes, one duffel bag, and a garbage bag from the truck cab, all of which contained methamphetamine. Collectively, the seized methamphetamine from the truck weighed over 260 pounds.

The conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine charge carries a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison, a maximum potential penalty of life in prison, and a fine of up to $10,000,000. Sentencing is scheduled for December 17, 2026.

U.S. Attorney Frazer credited special agents with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) MOPOD Enforcement Group 11 and the DEA Camden Resident Office, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Towanda R. Thorne-James, for the investigation leading to the guilty plea. He also thanked the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Spiros Karabinas, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge­­­­ Stefanie Roddy in Newark, and IRS-Criminal Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Jenifer L. Piovesan, for their assistance in the investigation.

This operation is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative. The HSTF is a United States government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, transnational gangs, and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) worldwide. This initiative identifies TCOs engaged in a wide range of criminal schemes that violate federal law, while dismantling cross-border human smuggling and trafficking networks that fuel violence and instability that threatens the safety and security of the United States and its global partners.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan S. Garelick of the U.S. Attorney's Office Criminal Division in Trenton.

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Defense counsel: Margaret M. Grasso, Esq.