A Bergen County, New Jersey, man made his initial court appearance today on charges of possession of fentanyl and heroin with intent to distribute, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced today.
Federal Officials said Mr. Dawan A. Brown, aka “DB,” 36, of Cliffside Park is charged by complaint with one count of possession with intent to distribute one kilogram or more of heroin and at least 400 grams or more of fentanyl. He appeared by videoconference before U.S. Magistrate Judge Edward Kiel and was detained.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
Law enforcement officers learned that Brown packages and distributes large amounts of heroin from an apartment in a building located in Harrison.
On June 14, 2022, law enforcement officers executed search warrants at this apartment and at Brown’s residence.
From the apartment in Harrison, officers recovered approximately two kilograms of narcotics, suspected to contain amounts of heroin and fentanyl; drug paraphernalia, including a ledger, a safe, scales, a coffee and spice grinder, ink pads, stamps, Ziplock bags, vacuum bags and a vacuum bag sealer machine, razor blades, glassine envelopes and strainers; and approximately $44,000 that was contained within the safe, along with some of the suspected heroin and fentanyl.
The Town of Harrison has experienced an escalation of new luxury apartment buildings within the last three years. The following incident is not the first situation where police raided and arrested suspected for operating drug mills in at leat one other building.
Federal authorities would not disclose To RLS Media which building police found Brown operating the drug mill.
From the residence in Cliffside Park, officers recovered approximately $169,000, five cell phones, safety deposit keys, and various jewelry including diamond necklaces, gold watches, and a gold ring.
The narcotics offense carries a minimum penalty of 10 years in prison, a maximum potential penalty of life in prison, and a fine of $10 million.