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South Jersey Couple Used Facebook, Teenage Son In Drug-Dealing Operation: Prosecutor

Investigators said they found thousands of drug deals on Facebook and evidence a couple was using their 14-year-old son to deliver drugs.

John Garman and Donna Shiffler

John Garman and Donna Shiffler

Photo Credit: Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office

An Atlantic County grand jury indicted John Garman, 38, and Donna Shiffler, 39, of Somers Point on Wednesday, Aug. 2, authorities said.

They each were charged with numerous drug offenses, child endangerment and money laundering, according to the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office.

Their Facebook account was called "Garmans Goods," selling marijuana, THC products and hallucinogenic mushrooms, the prosecutor said.

The couple was arrested on May 25, following a joint narcotics investigation conducted by the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office’s Gangs, Guns, & Narcotics Unit, Somers Point Police Department, and the DEA HIDTA (High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area) Mid-Atlantic Task Force.

It is alleged that Garman and Shiffler maintained a drug manufacturing facility in a Somers Point apartment where they lived with their three minor children, ages 14, 12 and seven years old, the prosecutor said.

Throughout the household, including the kitchen, downstairs closet, and primary bedroom, the defendants allegedly possessed large quantities of controlled dangerous substances, including approximately 62 pounds of hashish; approximately 42 pounds of marijuana; and approximately two pounds of psilocybin mushrooms, the prosecutor said. The manufacturing facility was stocked with packaging materials, labels, and business cards with the name, “Garmans Goods,”  the prosecutor said.

Police also seized approximately $119,000 in cash which is suspected proceeds from illegal narcotics distribution.

Subsequently, the investigation obtained additional digital evidence indicating that Shiffler and Garman were in continuous communication about drug sales from the residence. Messages spanning over a year indicated that both Garman and Shiffler utilized their 14-year-old son on a regular basis to prepare, package, and sell drugs on their behalf, the prosecutor said.

Digital evidence also revealed that Garman and Shiffler compensated their son in drugs, including marijuana and THC gummies.

Evidence from the defendant’s “Garmans Goods” Facebook account yielded thousands of digital communications indicating that the defendants’ drug trafficking network supplied hundreds of citizens in the Atlantic County community with marijuana, THC products, and psilocybin mushrooms at public locations including recreation fields, shopping centers, and drug-free school zones, the prosecutor said.

The defendants were rearrested due to the additional evidence and charges on Thursday, Aug. 3. 

They will remain lodged in the Atlantic County Justice Facility pending their detention hearings.

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