EHT Man Gets 15 Years for Home Pot Operation, Stolen Gun

An Egg Harbor Township man who turned his spare bedroom into a full-scale marijuana growing operation was sentenced to 15 years in prison earlier this week.

Victor Matias,32, was arrested in July 2024 when police and Atlantic County SWAT performed a no-knock warrant at his residence in the Townhomes at Cambridge.

Defendant Faced Life in Prison

When police searched Matias' home, they found a loaded Glock pistol that had been stolen in Texas, along with a complete pot grow shop with 75 marijuana plants, an irrigation and ventilation system, grow tents, lights, and $1,600 in cash thought to be profits of his drug dealing operation.

Although marijuana has been legalized for licensed operators in New Jersey, Matias is not one of them.

A Long Criminal Record

Complicating things for Victor Matias was a lengthy criminal record, which dated back to 2011.

A Townsquare Media article from 2016 chronicled an earlier drug bust when Matias was found with over 50 grams of marijuana and was charged with possession with intent to distribute.

The Atlantic County Prosecutor also had evidence that Matias had previously sold a handgun to another man after being convicted of a drug crime.

That history, coupled with the scale of the drug operation police found in his home, put Victor Matias in danger of a maximum life sentence in prison.

Matias was sentenced to 15 years in prison with five years of parole ineligibility after previously pleading guilty to maintaining a drug facility and having a stolen weapon.