A Bergen County man has been sentenced to 72 months in prison for heroin possession with intent to distribute, as announced by Acting U.S. Attorney Vikas Khanna. Dawan A. Brown, aged 37 from Cliffside Park, New Jersey, had previously pleaded guilty before Judge Brian R. Martinotti to charges of possessing over 100 grams of a mixture containing heroin.
The sentencing took place in Newark federal court after an investigation into drug trafficking activities in the District of New Jersey since January 2022 revealed Brown's involvement in narcotics distribution. Law enforcement officers discovered that Brown packaged and distributed large quantities of heroin from an apartment in Harrison, New Jersey.
On June 14, 2022, search warrants were executed at both the Harrison apartment and Brown’s residence in Cliffside Park. Officers recovered approximately two kilograms of suspected heroin and fentanyl along with drug paraphernalia and $34,000 from the Harrison location. From Brown's residence, they seized around $169,000, multiple cell phones, safety deposit keys, jewelry including diamond necklaces and gold watches. Additionally, about $225,000 was found in safety deposit boxes linked to Brown.
As part of his plea agreement, Brown agreed to forfeit $436,615.95 obtained through narcotics trafficking activities. Besides the prison term, he received four years of supervised release.
Acting U.S. Attorney Khanna credited several law enforcement agencies for their roles in the investigation leading to this sentencing: special agents of the FBI under Special Agent Brian J Driscoll; 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 under Chief Marc Marano. Additional thanks were extended to other local police departments involved.
The government’s case was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Robert L. Frazer and Dong Joo Lee based in Newark.
