A Guttenberg business owner was busted for illegally selling marijuana to the point where he is also facing a money laundering charge, police said.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
“Over the past couple of months, the Guttenberg Police Department had received numerous amounts of intelligence related to the illicit sale of marijuana from Max’s Convenience, located at 7101 John F. Kennedy Boulevard East,” according to Police Lt. Aleksandar Ramadanovic.
As a result of the information received, the Guttenberg PD’s Criminal Investigations Bureau launched a criminal investigation.
On November 14th, detectives confirmed the illicit sale of marijuana from this establishment and arrested Amr T. Kassim, 21 of Brooklyn, New York.
He is charged with manufacturing with the intent to distribute marijuana, distribution on or within 1,000 feet of school property, and distribution within 500 feet of public property.
As the result of this arrest, the store front was secured awaiting a court authorized search warrant for the premises.
Once received, detectives executed the court authorized search warrant and recovered a total weight of 32 ounces of marijuana and products, U.S. currency believed to be the proceeds of the marijuana distribution, and various materials typically utilized to manufacture, package, and distribute narcotics.
As the result of the evidence recovered, Kassim was also charged with the possession of more than six ounces of marijuana and money laundering.
Following his arrest processing, he was issued his complaint summons and released from police custody, pending his first court appearance at the Hudson County Superior Court.
“This investigation is a perfect example of our abilities as law enforcement when we closely partner with our community to make Guttenberg a safer place. Without our community’s involvement, we may have never been informed of narcotics sales at this establishment,” Police Chief Frank Pelaez said in a statement.
“I want to thank all of our residents and the members of our Criminal Investigation’s Bureau who dedicated their efforts to solving this investigation. Rest assured, we receive resident complaints and dedicate countless hours of work towards ensuring our community remains safe for everyone.”
If anyone has any information pertaining to this incident, they are encouraged to contact the Guttenberg PD at 201-868-3300 or email Lt. Steven Diaz at sdiaz@guttenbergpolice.org or Det. Sgt. Marcin Rysiec at mrysiec@guttenbergpolice.org.