A Jersey City man has been convicted of possessing a loaded firearm and possessing with intent to distribute controlled substances on three different occasions.
According to U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger, Clarence Gaffney, 36, was convicted yesterday following a three-day trial before U.S. District Judge Susan D. Wigenton in Newark federal court.
Gaffney was convicted on three counts of possession with intent to distribute controlled substances, and one count of possession of firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon.
The case involved three incidents over five months. During a motor vehicle stop on October 5, 2019, Gaffney was found to have heroin and cocaine in his underwear and shoe .
Then, on Dec. 26, 2019, after law enforcement officers observed Gaffney selling drugs on Martin Luther King Drive. Upon his arrest, heroin and cocaine were recovered from his jacket sleeve.
On Feb. 21, 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. 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.