Bergen County Man Admits Possession With Intent To Distribute Heroin

NEWARK, N.J. – A Bergen County, New Jersey, man today admitted possession of heroin with intent to distribute, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced.

Dawan A. Brown, aka “DB,” 37, of Cliffside Park, New Jersey, pleaded guilty before Judge Brian R. Martinotti in Newark federal court to an information charging him with one count of possession with intent to distribute 100 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of heroin. 

According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:

Brown admitted that on June 14, 2021, he possessed with intent to distribute a controlled substance containing heroin in Harrison, New Jersey. At the time of his arrest, law enforcement officers seized suspected drug proceeds and pieces of jewelry from Brown’s residence. As part of the plea agreement, Brown agreed to forfeit $436,616 – the proceeds from the narcotics trafficking.

The narcotics offense carries a minimum penalty of five years in prison, a maximum potential penalty of 40 years in prison, and a fine of $5 million. Sentencing is scheduled for June 12, 2024.

U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge James E. Dennehy in Newark; the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Acting Prosecutor Theodore N. Stephens II; Harrison Police Department, under the direction of Chief Ronald Cuney; and Cliffside Park Police Department, under the direction of Chief Marc Marano, with the investigation leading to today’s guilty plea.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert L. Frazer of the Organized Crime/Gangs Unit and Assistant U.S. Attorney Dong Joo Lee of the Narcotics/Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force Unit, in Newark.