State of New Jersey, Plaintiff-Appellant v. Ryan Lee Alexander, Defendant-Respondent

Summary

The Court held that a trial court must instruct the jury that the defendant occupied a high-level, supervisory position in the drug‑trafficking network as a material element of N.J.S.A. 2C:35-3, and that the State bears the burden of proving that element; the conviction under the drug‑kingpin statute was reversed and the case remanded for a new trial with the proper instruction. Justice Clifford dissented, arguing that the majority rewrote the statute and should have reinstated the conviction.