NEWARK, N.J. – A Hudson County, New Jersey, man has been convicted of possessing a loaded firearm and heroin, and cocaine on three different occasions, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced today.
Clarence Gaffney, 36, of Jersey City, was convicted on Oct. 26, 2022, following a three-day trial before U.S. District Judge Susan D. Wigenton in Newark federal court on three counts of possession with intent to distribute controlled substances, and one count of possession of firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon.
According to documents filed in this case and the evidence at trial, Gaffney possessed heroin and cocaine in his underwear and shoe on Oct. 5, 2019. On Dec. 26, 2019, after law enforcement officers observed Gaffney selling drugs on MLK Drive and arrested him, heroin and cocaine were recovered from his jacket sleeve. On Feb. 21, 2020, during a motor vehicle stop, a search of Gaffney’s vehicle revealed heroin hidden in a fuse compartment on the driver’s side and a Glock 22 .40 caliber firearm loaded with 11 rounds of .40 caliber ammunition found inside a fuse compartment on the passenger side.
The firearm charge carries a maximum potential penalty of 10 years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000. The drug charges each carry a maximum potential penalty of 20 years in prison and a maximum fine of $1 million.
U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited members of the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Susan A. Gibson; special agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, under the Direction of Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey L. Matthews; the Jersey City Police Department, under the direction Director James Shea;, and Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Prosecutor Esther Suarez, with the investigation leading to the conviction.
This investigation was conducted as part of the Jersey City Violent Crime Initiative (VCI). The VCI was formed in 2018 by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey, the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office, and the Jersey City Police Department, for the sole purpose of combatting violent crime in and around Jersey City.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Cassye Cole and Megan Linares of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Criminal Division in Newark.
Related Federal Cases
- Raheem Johnson, Narcotics Offenses and Firearm Possession, New Jersey 2021 · Georgia
- Cedric Lewis, Possession of Firearms and Narcotics, New Jersey 2020 · New York
- Tyrell Wilson, Cocaine Distribution, New Jersey 2021 · New York
- Lamont West, Firearms and Narcotics Offenses, New Jersey 2021 · New York
- Nasir White, Methamphetamine Conspiracy, New Jersey 2022 · New Jersey
Key Facts
- State: New Jersey
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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