Federal authorities had hard evidence as early as 2017 that Jam Master Jay's alleged murderer, Karl Jordan Jr., was involved in cocaine trafficking, according to court records filed by prosecutors Tuesday (March 30).
Jordan, the man accused of personally shooting Jam Master Jay in an execution-style killing at Jay's Queens recording studio, "regularly" sold cocaine and crack to an "undercover law enforcement agent" several times in 2017, prosecutors said. Authorities reportedly recorded the undercover drug deals "using both audio and video recording devices."
Prosecutors revealed these new details Tuesday in response to a defense motion for more details on Jordan's alleged crimes, which argued that federal prosecutors had left Jordan's defense team in the dark. Specifically, the defense argued a recent new indictment -- charging Jordan with not only Jay's 2002 murder but cocaine trafficking from 2016-2020 -- was too vague.
In addition to the undercover sales, federal authorities searched two cellphones allegedly connected to Jordan and found "communications, photographs and videos" tying him to the coke trade, prosecutors wrote.
The prosecution motion does not explain why -- if prosecutors had definitive evidence tying Jordan to cocaine trafficking -- they waited until August 2020 to charge him with federal offenses.
Jordan is alleged to have murdered Jay alongside Ronald Washington, another alleged cocaine dealer who was angry at Jay over a dispute involving drug sales. Jay had recently purchased 10 kilos of coke from a "supplier in the Midwest" with plans for Washington, Jordan, and "other co-conspirators" to sell the drugs in Maryland, prosecutors claim. But Jay reportedly became angry with Washington and cut him out of the deal, leading to the murder plot.
In the same motion, prosecutors resisted having to hand over the names of witnesses against Jordan and Washington, citing a Supreme Court ruling that allows such delays to protect "potential cooperating witnesses, exposing them and their families to intimidation or retaliation."
Written By: Nate Gartrell
