A Galloway Township woman has been sentenced to state prison following a comprehensive narcotics investigation that revealed drugs, weapons, and thousands of dollars in cash at multiple locations across Atlantic County.
According to the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office, 28-year-old Medina Hayes was sentenced on Thursday, April 23, 2026, to an aggregate term of five years in New Jersey State Prison. The sentence includes a one-year period of parole ineligibility and requires Hayes to forfeit $10,003 seized during the investigation.
Hayes previously entered a guilty plea before Superior Court Judge Donna Taylor to second-degree unlawful possession of a handgun and third-degree possession with intent to distribute a controlled dangerous substance. These charges carry significant weight under New Jersey law, reflecting the serious nature of the offenses.
The case originated from a May 22, 2025 investigation when law enforcement executed search warrants at two residences and a vehicle connected to Hayes and co-defendant Manirah Parrish-Bond. The coordinated operation demonstrates the multi-location scope often required in modern drug trafficking investigations.
At the Ravens Nest Drive residence in Galloway Township, where Hayes was taken into custody, investigators discovered more than $7,000 in cash in small denominations—a hallmark of street-level drug sales. An additional $2,000 was seized from a vehicle Hayes had been operating during the investigation, bringing the total cash forfeiture to over $10,000.
A second search warrant was executed at a location on Atlantic Avenue in Pleasantville, where Parrish-Bond was arrested. That residence yielded a substantial cache of narcotics and drug paraphernalia. Detectives located crack cocaine, approximately 620 folds of heroin/fentanyl, hundreds of small containers commonly used to package narcotics, and a digital scale with suspected drug residue.
Perhaps most concerning to community safety, investigators also recovered a semi-automatic handgun, ammunition, and keys linked to the vehicle associated with Hayes. The combination of drugs and weapons represents a particularly dangerous element that law enforcement prioritizes in prosecutions.
The investigation reflects ongoing efforts by Atlantic County authorities to combat illegal drug distribution in our communities. The heroin/fentanyl mixture found during the raid is particularly alarming, as fentanyl has been linked to a surge in overdose deaths across New Jersey and the nation.
With Hayes now facing five years behind bars and a year of that time without possibility of parole, the case sends a clear message about the consequences of drug trafficking in Atlantic County. The forfeiture of over $10,000 also ensures that proceeds from illegal activity will not benefit those involved in the operation.
