Long Branch Man Had Heroin, Illegal Gun, DEA Says

LONG BRANCH, NJ — A Long Branch man was convicted of heroin and illegal gun ownership offenses, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced Friday.

Marnell Johnson, 46, of Long Branch, was convicted Thursday following a three-day trial 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.

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 in Long Branch and recovered heroin and heroin 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.

He was not sentenced yet, but is facing up to 20 years in prison.

This case was prosecuted by the DEA, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Susan A. Gibson in Newark; the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Acting Prosecutor Lori Linskey; the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer; the Long Branch Police Department, under the direction of Public Safety Director Domingos A. Saldida; the Lakewood Police Department, under the direction of Chief of Police Gregory Howard Meyer; the Neptune Township Police Department, under the direction of Chief of Police Larry B. Fisher; and the Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Sheriff Shaun Golden, with the investigation leading to the guilty verdict.