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The FBI and the US Attorney General's Office were among the agencies deployed in the city's hotspots following four non-fatal shootings that injured eight people Tuesday, Newark Public Safety Director Brian A. O’Hara said.
According to O'Hara, the following arrests were made:
Sabir Williams, 25, Mahdee S. Johnson, 24, and Safiatou Dieng, 23, all of Newark, were arrested Thursday on the 100 block of Goodwin Avenue. Police saw a hand-to-hand drug transaction between Williams and Dieng from a car registered to Johnson.
Officers saw Williams in possession of a loaded handgun, 42 glassine envelopes of heroin and $584.00 of suspected proceeds from narcotics sales. Johnson was found in possession of 13 glassine envelopes of heroin, 8 plastic jugs containing suspected crack cocaine and $257.00 of suspected proceeds from narcotics sales.
Approximately 185 grams of marijuana was also recovered by police. Dieng was found with of one plastic jug of cocaine. Williams was charged with unlawful possession of a weapon, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, CDS possession, CDS distribution and distributing CDS within 1,000-ft. of a school. Johnson faces charges of CDS possession, CDS distribution, and distributing CDS within 1,000-ft. of a school. Dieng is charged with CDS possession.
Naji Starling, 27, of Hillside, was arrested yesterday in the 100 block of Livingston Street yesterday after police observed him with a semi-automatic weapon loaded with hollow point bullets. Police also found Starling in possession of heroin. He faces charges of unlawful possession of a weapon, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, possession of prohibited weapons (hollow point bullets), CDS possession, CDS distribution, and certain persons prohibited from weapon possession.
Michael Thomas, 30, of Newark, was arrested yesterday in the 100 block of Isabella Avenue after police observed him with a handgun loaded with ball point bullets. Thomas was also found in possession of an unlabeled prescription bottle containing seven oxycodone pills. He is charged with unlawful possession of a weapon, possession of a prohibited weapon (large capacity magazine), CDS possession, resisting arrest and certain persons prohibited from weapon possession.
Samaad Allah, 25 of Newark, was arrested Friday at Bradley Court on North Munn Avenue after he was observed by police with a loaded firearm. He faces charges of unlawful possession of a weapon, possession of a weapon for an unlawful possession of a weapon and certain persons prohibited from weapon possession.
Tishawn Scovil, 31, of Newark, was arrested today after police observed him with a handgun in the area of Gladstone Avenue and South Orange Avenue. Police found Scovil in possession of a loaded ghost gun, which is a gun that does not have a serial number. He faces charges of unlawful possession of a weapon, possession of a prohibited weapon (large capacity magazine and ghost gun).
Nazir Cook McDougald, 22, of Newark, was arrested in the 200 block of Bergen Street after police conducted a motor vehicle stop and observed a loaded handgun inside a vehicle he was driving. He was also found in possession of four bottles of promethazine hydrochloride and codeine phosphate oral solution. He faces charges of unlawful possession of a weapon and possession of legend drugs.
With the assistance of FBI agents Newark Police recovered another weapon in the 100 block of South 9th Street.
Police also recovered a loaded weapon inside an iron gate in the 100 block of Chelsea Avenue and a bag containing multiple glassine envelopes of heroin and multiple plastic jugs of cocaine.
“The majority of the suspects arrested for gun possession in this operation are convicted felons,” O’Hara noted. “That means they are absolutely prohibited from carrying a weapon. Because the courts have been backlogged due to the pandemic, the accountability previously imposed on repeat criminals is no longer in place. I trust that the criminal justice system will partner with law enforcement to keep re-offenders off our streets.”
Director O’Hara credits Acting U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey Rachael A. Honig; Acting Essex County Prosecutor Theodore N. Stephens, II, of the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office; Superintendent of the New Jersey State Police Colonel Patrick J. Callahan; Special Agent in Charge of the FBI-Newark George M. Crouch, Jr.; Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s New Jersey Division Susan A. Gibson; Special Agent in Charge of the Newark Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Jeffrey L. Matthews; and Sheriff Armando B. Fontoura of the Essex County Sheriff’s Office for their assistance with this operation.
The total number of illegal guns recovered by Newark Police year-to-date is 712, up 33 percent from the same period last year. Police also recovered 34 ghost guns so far in 2021, as compared to 7 in 2020, reflecting a 357 percent increase.
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