By: Tracie Carter
A 43-year-old man formerly of Brick Township has been sentenced to 32 years in state prison after authorities uncovered a large illegal drug production operation tied to properties in South Jersey and Ocean County.
According to information released by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office, Jason Bacon was sentenced on April 17, 2026, by the Honorable Guy P. Ryan to a total term of 32 years in New Jersey State Prison, with 12 years of parole ineligibility.
Prosecutors said the sentence includes 16 years for maintaining a controlled dangerous substance facility, eight years for possession of a firearm during a drug offense, and another eight years for financial facilitation, all to run consecutively.
Additional charges—including multiple drug possession and distribution offenses as well as failure to file and pay income taxes—resulted in concurrent sentences.
Authorities said the investigation began in December 2017 when police in Clayton Township, New Jersey noticed suspicious activity at a vacant home on Delsea Drive, including unusually high utility usage and large freight deliveries consistent with marijuana cultivation.
Further investigation revealed that the property was owned by Bacon, who also maintained a residence in Brick Township, New Jersey.
On April 26, 2018, law enforcement officers executed court-authorized search warrants at both locations, seizing more than 25 pounds of marijuana, over five pounds of hashish and related products, marijuana plants, drug production equipment, and a loaded .25 caliber handgun.
Bacon was taken into custody at his Brick Township residence and lodged in the Ocean County Jail.
Officials said he was initially detained but later released in April 2019 under New Jersey’s bail reform guidelines.
A financial investigation later determined that Bacon deposited more than $400,000 in proceeds from illegal narcotics sales into his bank account between 2013 and 2018.
Authorities also found that he failed to pay income taxes on those earnings.
Bacon’s trial began on January 14, 2025, before Judge Ryan; however, he failed to appear in court. The trial proceeded in his absence, and on January 30, 2025, a jury found him guilty on all counts.