Man Convicted in Multi-State Cocaine Distribution Conspiracy

Marvin Murphy found guilty of coordinating with co-conspirators to traffic over $340,000 worth of cocaine through New Jersey following undercover operation.

A man was convicted on March 18, 2025, for his role in a cocaine distribution conspiracy that stretched from California to New Jersey, according to U.S. Attorney John Giordano.

Marvin Murphy, 48, a resident of Camden, New Jersey, was found guilty following a two-day bench trial before Chief U.S. District Judge Renée Marie Bumb. After the verdict, Judge Bumb ordered Murphy remanded into custody pending sentencing, which is scheduled for July 17, 2025.

According to court documents and trial evidence, Murphy conspired with Carl Lee Holloway, Lavinston Lamar, and others to distribute and possess with intent to distribute cocaine between June and July 2021. The investigation culminated in a sting operation orchestrated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

On June 23, 2021, Holloway traveled to San Diego, California, where he met with an undercover federal agent posing as a drug supplier. During the meeting, Holloway negotiated the logistics of transporting at least 10 kilograms of cocaine to New Jersey. Holloway then contacted Murphy by phone, and they maintained communication in the weeks leading up to the planned drug exchange.

On July 13, 2021, Holloway, Murphy, and Lamar arrived individually at a hotel in Mount Laurel, New Jersey, each carrying bags containing cash. In total, the three men brought more than $340,000 to the meeting location. Inside a hotel room, they met with undercover agents and briefly examined a kilogram of cocaine provided by the agents before being arrested on site.

Chief Judge Bumb had previously sentenced both of Murphy’s co-conspirators. Holloway received a 120-month prison sentence after pleading guilty to the same conspiracy charge. Lamar, who also pleaded guilty and admitted to violating conditions of supervised release from a prior conviction, was initially sentenced to 114 months, later reduced to 100 months.

Murphy now faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison and a fine of up to $1 million for conspiracy to distribute cocaine.

The investigation leading to Murphy’s conviction was conducted by special agents of Homeland Security Investigations under the leadership of Special Agent in Charge Ricky J. Patel (Newark) and Special Agent in Charge Shawn S. Gibson (San Diego), with assistance from the Mount Laurel Police Department led by Chief Timothy Hudnall.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Bender and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Katelyn Waegener from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Camden.