A Jersey City man pleaded guilty to possessing and conspiracy to sell cocaine in the city between August 2019 and February 2nd, 2020, U.S. Attorney Philip Sellinger announced.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
Jerome Powell, 43, of Jersey City, pleaded guilty by videoconference before U.S. District Court Judge Susan D. Wigenton yesterday to a superseding information charging him with one count of conspiracy to distribute cocaine and one count of possession with intent to distribute cocaine, Sellinger said in a statement.
From August 2019 through February 2nd, 2020, Powell and others agreed to possess and distribute narcotics in Jersey City. Upon his arrest, Powell had 400 vials of cocaine in his pocket.
The charges of conspiracy to distribute cocaine and possession with intent to distribute cocaine each carry a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a maximum fine of $1 million. His sentencing is scheduled for December 8th, 2022.
Sellinger credited special agents and task force officers of the Drug Enforcement Administration and members of the Jersey City Police Department with the investigation leading to the charges.
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.
