Authorities say 15 adult victims were found after searches at motels, homes and vehicles.
TRENTON, NJ — New Jersey authorities charged 13 people after a yearlong investigation into an alleged human trafficking operation that stretched across Camden, Burlington, Middlesex and Ocean counties and centered on several Route 73 motels, officials said Friday.
The case marks one of the state’s larger recent trafficking prosecutions and ties sex trafficking allegations to drug distribution, weapons seizures and a network of managers and suppliers, according to authorities. Attorney General Jennifer Davenport said 15 women, ages 29 to 52, were found and connected with support services after search warrants were served May 7.
Officials identified the alleged leaders as Shalaby Hicks, 48, of Pennsauken, and Nathaniel Clay, 49, of Mount Laurel. Both men were in custody after the raids and could face life in prison if convicted of the most serious charges. “The physical and emotional abuse of human trafficking leaves scars that stay with victims for the rest of their lives,” Davenport said. “It is our mission to relentlessly pursue those who exploit others.” The investigation began in January 2025 and was led by the New Jersey State Police Human Trafficking Unit, with help from the Division of Criminal Justice and other law enforcement agencies.
Authorities said Hicks and Clay ran what investigators described as a controlled “program” in which women were made to perform commercial sex acts, turn over the money they received and depend on the alleged leaders for food, lodging, transportation and drugs. Investigators said the victims also were made to post online ads and provide drugs to clients. Theresa Hilton, director of the Division of Criminal Justice, said filed court documents allege that Hicks and Clay “controlled women, profited from their exploitation and maintained that control through financial dependence, manipulation and the distribution of dangerous controlled substances.” Officials said the drugs included crack cocaine, fentanyl and methamphetamine.
The May 7 searches focused on homes, vehicles and motels in South Jersey, including the Riviera Motor Inn in Pennsauken and the Bel-Air Motor Lodge and Hometown Studios in Maple Shade. Authorities said the three motels sit along a roughly four-mile stretch of Route 73, a busy commercial corridor with highway access through Camden and Burlington counties. Police said Hicks was found in a Pennsauken hotel room that investigators believe he used to run part of the operation. During that search, officers seized about 7.79 ounces of suspected crack cocaine, five ounces of fentanyl, 3.77 ounces of methamphetamine, drug paraphernalia and about $5,000 in cash, authorities said.
Clay, investigators said, operated from a Maple Shade hotel room and used other defendants to provide transportation, drugs and protection to victims. Police said Clay had a handgun when he was arrested. Authorities also said Bernard Dandridge, 56, of Sicklerville, was arrested with about 14 ounces of cocaine, two handguns and an assault-style ghost gun rifle. Investigators allege Dandridge and Anthony Hicks Simms, 51, of Camden, supplied cocaine for the enterprise. Court records cited by officials said Dandridge used his home to manufacture cocaine. The full scope of the operation remains under investigation, and officials said it is not yet clear how many people may have been exploited beyond the 15 women already identified.
The other people charged were Shawn Williams of Lindenwold, Raymond Edness of Mount Holly, Richard Wood of Burlington, Amber Temean of Mount Laurel, Eleana Kuzel of Ventnor, Deena Turner of Delanco, Kelley Plotts of Stratford, Nicholas Bray of Haddon Heights and Michael Amoroso of Riverside. Authorities said the defendants face charges that include racketeering, conspiracy, human trafficking and drug offenses. Temean, Kuzel, Williams and Plotts allegedly acted as managers who handled money and enforced rules, while Turner allegedly helped photograph victims and post online commercial sex advertisements. Wood and Edness allegedly helped Clay with transportation, drugs and protection. All defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
State Police Acting Superintendent Jeanne Hengemuhle said the arrests showed how trafficking networks can blend coercion, narcotics and control over basic needs. “These traffickers prey on human lives for personal profit and have no regard for the devastation they cause to victims, families and communities,” Hengemuhle said. Investigators said the women were given lodging and transportation while being required to return earnings from commercial sex acts to Hicks and Clay. Officials said the alleged arrangement deepened victims’ dependence on the people accused of exploiting them, especially when illegal drugs were part of the control structure.
The arrests also drew attention at the motel properties where officers served warrants. Venktesh Shah, manager of Hometown Studios in Maple Shade, said he saw a heavy law enforcement response during the operation. “There was like 20 or 30 police officers, state police was here,” Shah said. He said officers told him to return to the office and that the business cooperated with authorities. Shah said he did not know of illegal activity at the property. Officials did not accuse the motel businesses of wrongdoing in the public statements reviewed after the arrests.
The case comes as New Jersey officials prepare for large crowds tied to the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with matches scheduled in the region later this year. Davenport said the state is expanding efforts to combat trafficking ahead of major international events. She said large gatherings can draw people seeking to profit from criminal activity, including trafficking. The current case, however, began more than a year before the tournament and was described by investigators as a local and regional operation rooted in South and Central Jersey. Authorities said additional charges could follow as investigators review evidence seized during the May 7 searches.
Hicks and Clay remained jailed after the arrests, and the case was moving through the state criminal process as of Sunday. Prosecutors said the investigation is ongoing, with the next steps expected to include court appearances, evidence review and efforts to identify any additional victims.
Author note: Last updated May 17, 2026.