A Jersey City felon was convicted of possessing heroine, cocaine, and a loaded firearm after a three-day trial, U.S. Attorney Philip Sellinger announced.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
Clarence Gaffney, 36, of Jersey City, was convicted yesterday of possessing a loaded firearm, and possessing with intent to distribute controlled substances on three different occasions, following a trial before U.S. District Judge Susan D. Wigenton in Newark.
On October 5th, 2019, during a motor vehicle stop, Gaffney possessed heroin and cocaine in his underwear and shoe.
Then on December 26th, 2019, after law enforcement officers observed Gaffney selling drugs on MLK Drive and arrested him, heroin and cocaine were recovered from his jacket sleeve.
Two months later, on February 21st, 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.
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.
Yesterday, Sellinger credited the effort with dropping the shooting incidents in Jersey City by 27 percent in the past year.
