U.S. Dept. of Justice: Monmouth Man Convicted of Federal Heroin Trafficking, Weapons Charges

A Monmouth County man has been convicted of major narcotics and firearms offenses, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced on Friday.

Marnell Johnson, 46, of Long Branch, was convicted on July 14 following a three-day trial before U.S. District Judge Michael A. Shipp in Trenton federal court. Johnson was convicted of possession with intent to distribute heroin; possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime; and being a felon in possession of a firearm.

According to documents filed in this case and the evidence at trial:

On four occasions in early 2020, Johnson, a previously convicted felon, sold heroin to a confidential source.

On April 8, 2020, the special agents of the Drug Enforcement Administration executed a federal search warrant of Johnson’s apartment and recovered heroin and packaging paraphernalia. The DEA also recovered a loaded .380 caliber semi-automatic firearm from the drawer of the same table on which Johnson’s heroin and packaging material were found.

Johnson faces a potential maximum sentence of 20 years in prison on the count of possession with intent to distribute; 10 years in prison on the felon in possession count; and a statutory mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison and a maximum of life on the count charging possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, which must run consecutive to the sentences imposed on the other counts. Johnson also faces a potential maximum fine of $1.5 million.

— Press release from the U.S. Attorney General’s Office