A Bergen County man has been sentenced to 72 months in prison for possession of heroin with intent to distribute. The announcement was made by Acting U.S. Attorney Vikas Khanna.
Dawan A. Brown, aged 37 and a resident of Cliffside Park, New Jersey, pleaded guilty before Judge Brian R. Martinotti to a charge involving the possession with intent to distribute 100 grams or more of heroin. The sentence was imposed in Newark federal court.
The investigation into drug trafficking activities began in January 2022 in the District of New Jersey, including areas around Harrison, New Jersey. Law enforcement discovered that Brown, also known as "DB," was involved in distributing narcotics within the state.
Investigations revealed that Brown packaged and distributed significant quantities of heroin from an apartment located in Harrison, New Jersey. On June 14, 2022, law enforcement executed search warrants at both the Harrison apartment and Brown's residence in Cliffside Park. At the Harrison location, officers seized approximately two kilograms of narcotics suspected to contain heroin and fentanyl along with drug paraphernalia and $34,000 found in a safe. In Cliffside Park, officers recovered about $169,000 alongside various valuables including cell phones and jewelry. An additional $225,000 was recovered from safety deposit boxes linked to Brown.
As part of his plea agreement, Brown agreed to forfeit $436,615.95 from his narcotics trafficking activities.
Besides the prison term, Judge Martinotti sentenced Brown to four years of supervised release.
Acting U.S. Attorney Khanna acknowledged contributions from several law enforcement agencies for their roles in the investigation leading up to this sentencing. Special agents from the FBI under Special Agent Brian J Driscoll's direction; Essex County Prosecutor’s Office led by Prosecutor Theodore N. Stephens II; Harrison Police Department headed by Chief David Strumolo; and Cliffside Park Police Department led by Chief Marc Marano were all credited for their involvement.
Khanna also extended thanks to other local police departments including those from Essex County Sheriff’s Office, Bloomfield Police Department, Newark Police Department, Irvington Police Department, Hillsborough Police Department, and Fort Lee Police Department.
The prosecution was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert L. Frazer from the Organized Crime/Gangs Unit and Assistant U.S. Attorney Dong Joo Lee from the Cybercrime Unit based in Newark.