Man Sentenced For Illegal Gun, Dealing Drugs In Barnegat

BARNEGAT, NJ — A Barnegat man was sentenced to state prison for distributing cocaine and unlawfully possessing a gun, according to the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office.

Clifford Holland, 48, was sentenced to three years for possession of less than one half ounce of cocaine with intent to distribute and 10 years for unlawful possession of a handgun in connection because he had previously been convicted of an offense subject to the No Early Release Act, Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said. Both charges are in connection with a Feb. 23, 2024 incident in Barnegat. These sentences will run concurrently.

On that day, detectives from Barnegat, Stafford, the Prosecutor's Office and Ocean County SWAT Team executed a court-authorized search warrant on a Gunning River Road home, Billhimer said.

There, detectives seized "a quantity" of cocaine and a .22 caliber revolver, Billhimer said. Holland was taken into custody and lodged at Ocean County Jail, where he has been since that date, Billhimer said.