Queen City Man Sold A Lot Of Meth To Concord Cops: Report

CONCORD, NH — A Manchester man is accused of selling meth to Concord police during the last two months. James Gadwah, 57, of Manchester, was arrested on Thursday on three counts of sale of a controlled drug-methamphetamine and possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, all felonies. Detectives in Concord began investigating Gadwah in May using Operation Granite Shield drug enforcement funds, according to Lt. Sean Ford, the commander of the criminal investigations division of the Concord Police Department.

"During the course of the investigation, undercover detectives made several sizeable purchases of methamphetamine from Mr. Gadwah," Ford alleged. "A warrant for sales was issued."

Parked in a vehicle in a local hotel parking lot on June 27, 2019, Gadwah was located by detectives and arrested on the warrant. A passenger in the vehicle – Benjamin Stockwell, 29, of Concord – was also arrested on an active warrant.

A search warrant for Gadwah's vehicle was requested and after being granted, detectives allegedly recovered "a large quantity of methamphetamine in addition to property commonly used to distribute narcotics for sale," Ford added. After the search, Gadwah was also accused of being in possession of other drugs which have been sent to the New Hampshire State Police Forensic Laboratory for testing. Ford said more charges could be issued against Gadwah after the results of the testing were issued.

Both Gadwah and Stockwell were held without bail after being arrested. Gadwah is scheduled to be arraigned in Merrimack County Superior Court at 1 p.m. today. Stockwell will be arraigned at a later date.

Anyone with information about this case is asked to contact Ford at 603-225-8600 or leave anonymous information with the Concord Regional Crimeline at 603-226-3100.

Gadwah, according to posts online, has been arrested in the past on receiving stolen property and driving after revocation charges. Stockwell has been previously charged with negligent driving, receiving stolen property, possession of drugs, and possession of drugs in a motor vehicle in communities around the state. He was indicted in 2017 on possession of meth charges after previously being convicted on charges in Merrimack County Superior Court.

Editor's note: This post was derived from information supplied by the Concord Police Department. It does not indicate a conviction. This link explains the removal request process for New Hampshire Patch police reports.

Got a news tip? Send it to Tony Schinella at tony.schinella@patch.com. View more videos at https://www.youtube.com/user/tonyschinella.