Dwayne Northern, Heroin Distribution Conspiracy, New Jersey 2024

Dwayne Northern, a 35-year-old Paterson, New Jersey man known as ‘Black’ and ‘D Black,’ admitted today to his role in a violent heroin distribution ring tied to the 230 Boys street gang. The confession, delivered via videoconference before U.S. District Judge Brian R. Martinotti, marks a key breakthrough in a federal crackdown targeting one of Passaic County’s most entrenched narcotics operations.

Northern pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute heroin, and a separate count of knowingly distributing the drug. From at least September 2018 through October 1, 2019, Northern and his co-conspirators flooded the streets of Paterson—particularly around Rosa Parks Boulevard and Godwin Avenue—with heroin and fentanyl, federal prosecutors say. The gang’s operations were sustained through coded texts, recorded calls, and numerous controlled buys orchestrated by law enforcement.

Investigators deployed surveillance, wiretaps, and call detail analysis to map the network’s reach, exposing a tightly organized crew that used fear, loyalty, and street-level violence to maintain control. The 230 Boys, long suspected of fueling addiction and overdose spikes in the city, are now under sustained federal pressure as part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) initiative.

Each of the charges Northern admitted to carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a fine of at least $1 million. Sentencing is scheduled for December 21, 2020. Authorities stress that the case is part of a broader mission to dismantle the top tiers of drug networks that supply deadly narcotics across the region.

The investigation was a multi-agency effort led by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), with critical support from the New Jersey State Police, Paterson Police Department, Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office, and the Passaic County Sheriff’s Office. The U.S. Marshals Service and police departments in Bergen County, Belleville, and Livingston also provided operational assistance.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Francesca Liquori of the Organized Crime and Gangs Unit is prosecuting the case. U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito affirmed that federal authorities will continue targeting the leadership of drug gangs like the 230 Boys, calling their operations a ‘direct assault on the safety and health of our communities.’

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