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Press Release

Narcotics Dealer Pleads Guilty To Sale Of Heroin And Fentanyl That Resulted In Manhattan Man’s Overdose Death

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of New York

Joon H. Kim, the Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced the plea today by DASHAWN HAWKINS, a/k/a “Jhonny Cash,” of New York, New York, to the sale of heroin and fentanyl that resulted in the overdose death of Colin Cameron, 29, of Manhattan, on September 2, 2016.  HAWKINS pled guilty earlier today before U.S. District Judge Gregory H. Woods in Manhattan federal court.

Acting Manhattan U.S. Attorney Joon H. Kim stated:  “As he admitted today, Dashawn Hawkins sold fentanyl-laced heroin that killed Colin Cameron, a young resident of New York City.  The opioid epidemic is devastating our communities, and this Office is committed to aggressively prosecuting dealers like Hawkins who fuel it.”

According to the charging documents filed in the case, as well as statements made during the plea proceedings and earlier court appearances:

On or about September 1, 2016, DASHAWN HAWKINS, a/k/a “Jhonny Cash,” sold a mixture of heroin and fentanyl to Colin Cameron.  The next morning, New York City Police Department officers responded to Cameron’s apartment on the Upper West Side, where they found Cameron dead from a drug overdose.  After identifying HAWKINS as the dealer who sold Cameron the fatal dose of drugs, the NYPD arrested HAWKINS on October 20, 2016, and searched his apartment.  During the search, officers found, among other things, additional bags of heroin and substances used to cut heroin, fentanyl packaging, and a short-barreled rifle with a high-capacity magazine loaded with 34 rounds of ammunition.

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HAWKINS faces a maximum term of life in prison and a mandatory minimum term of 20 years in prison.  The maximum potential sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes only, as the defendant’s sentence will be determined by a judge.  HAWKINS is scheduled to be sentenced on December 7, 2017, by the Honorable Gregory H. Woods, U.S. District Judge.

Mr. Kim praised the outstanding investigative work of the NYPD.

This matter is being handled by the Office’s Narcotics Unit.  Assistant United States Attorneys Jason M. Swergold and Amanda L. Houle are in charge of the prosecution.

Updated July 14, 2017

Topic
Drug Trafficking
Press Release Number: 17-219