MARC HENRY JOHNSON and James Holder Charged in Manhattan Cocaine Bust

Manhattan, New York – In a coordinated effort, federal and local law enforcement agencies announced the arrest of MARC HENRY JOHNSON and James Holder, a/k/a ‘Pepsi,’ in connection with cocaine-related charges.

According to authorities, JOHNSON and HOLDER were taken into custody last night and are expected to appear in Manhattan federal court before U.S. Magistrate Judge Gabriel W. Gorenstein today.

U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara stated, ‘Drugs destroy lives and communities. The charges unsealed today against James Holder and Marc Henry Johnson are a reminder of that. And the work of the DEA, NYPD, and State Police in this investigation is also a reminder of law enforcement’s commitment to stem the distribution of dangerous drugs in our communities.’

DEA Special Agent in Charge James J. Hunt added, ‘Drug overdoses take too many lives too soon and become a family’s worst nightmare. DEA is committed to dismantling drug trafficking organizations and those responsible for putting poison in the hands of users.’

Judge Gorenstein will preside over the case, which involves allegations that HOLDER sold cocaine from a third-floor apartment in Chelsea from approximately 2003 to October 4, 2015. The total amount of cocaine distributed by HOLDER during this period exceeds five kilograms.

Holder and JOHNSON, longtime friends, engaged in a cocaine distribution scheme that involved JOHNSON buying and using cocaine, as well as introducing HOLDER to other individuals as a potential supplier. This led to HOLDER providing cocaine to those individuals in exchange for money, who in turn introduced still more cocaine buyers to HOLDER.

On the night of October 3, 2015, and the early morning hours of October 4, 2015, JOHNSON sent text messages indicating he ‘may go to Pepsi for a pickup’ in Chelsea. He later met up with a 38-year-old woman at a bar in Manhattan, offering to share a significant amount of cocaine. The two left the bar together and arrived at HOLDER’s apartment, where they were seen dragging the woman’s apparently unconscious body down to the building lobby via video surveillance footage.

The charges against MARC HENRY JOHNSON and James Holder include cocaine-related offenses. The exact date of the charges is October 4, 2015. The outcome of the case is pending, as the defendants are currently in custody. The total amount of cocaine distributed by HOLDER during the alleged scheme exceeds five kilograms, with no dollar amounts specified. The category for this case is Drug Trafficking.

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