JERSEY CITY, N.J. — A sixth individual has been arrested in connection with a narcotics investigation centered on a storefront in Jersey City, authorities announced.
Jamari Champagne, 20, of Jersey City, was taken into custody Tuesday outside Kaelyn Deli and Grocery at 156 Martin Luther King Drive. According to the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office, Champagne was found with over 100 glassine envelopes containing suspected heroin.
Champagne is charged with two counts each of conspiracy to distribute a controlled dangerous substance, conspiracy to distribute within 1,000 feet of a school, and conspiracy to distribute within 500 feet of public property. He also faces three additional charges for heroin possession with intent to distribute under those same proximity conditions.
He was transported to the Hudson County Correctional Facility pending his first court appearance.
The charges stem from an earlier raid conducted on February 5, when members of the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office Gang Task Force executed a court-authorized search of the grocery store with assistance from the Hudson County Regional SWAT, Jersey City Police, and the Hudson County Sheriff’s Office.
During that search, investigators recovered suspected heroin, cocaine, drug paraphernalia, and cash. Five other men were arrested in February as part of the operation: Donte Carlisle, Marc Jeune, Elvin Borbon, Rodney Chappel, and Aliquan Hatten.
Additionally, the Jersey City Department of Health and Human Services cited the store’s owner for multiple city health code violations during the February raid.
