Essex County Family Arrested For Allegedly Dealing Heroin, Crack

Authorities arrested a trio of family members on Wednesday for allegedly dealing heroin, crack and liquid codeine in Essex County.

According to the Essex County Sheriff’s Office, detectives assisted by police from Bloomfield and Irvington staged an undercover operation and executed a search warrant at 39 Pine Grove Terrace in Newark at noon.

When police observed the target of the investigation – 23-year-old Alrahim ‘Cheddar’ Claiborne – outside the home, they immediately moved in and detained him, authorities stated.

Police then executed their search warrant and entered the premises, finding Claiborne’s mother – 42-year-old Daneka Claiborne – lying in bed and “thumbing through a narcotics ledger,” authorities stated.

Police also detained and arrested Claiborne’s younger son, Karon Johnson, 18, and an unrelated suspect, Duvall Johnson, 36, of Newark, who was reportedly visiting the home at the time.

Alrahim Claiborne and Karon Johnson are both alleged members of the Crips street gang, authorities stated.

After searching the residence, police found a .40 caliber Smith & Wesson handgun loaded with illegal hollow point bullets, allegedly stolen out of Orangeburg, Colorado. Detectives also found 212 heroin-filled glassine envelopes stamped ‘HULK’ in blue ink, a plastic bag filled with crack-cocaine and a large bottle of liquid Promethazine (codeine), in addition to “multiple caches of ammunition,” additional gun magazines and a “wide assortment of drug processing and packaging materials.”

Duvall Johnson was also found to be in possession of a small bag of marijuana, police stated.

Authorities charged Alrahim Claiborne, Karon Johnson and Daneka Claiborne with three counts each of possession of a controlled dangerous substance, possession of CDS with intent to distribute, possession of CDS with intent to distribute within 1,000 feet of Alexander Street School and possession of CDS with intent to distribute within 500 feet of the Vailsburg Public Library.

Authorities also charged the three family members with the unlawful possession of a weapon, possession of a weapon while committing a CDS crime, possession of hollow point ammunition, possession of illegal extended gun magazine, receiving stolen property, possession of narcotics paraphernalia and conspiracy to violate New Jersey’s narcotics laws.

Sign up for Patch NJ email newsletters here.