Mocobizscene:Khalid Holland, 44, of Newark, was sentenced to eight years in federal prison after entering a guilty plea to charges relating to narcotics trafficking and unlawful gun possession. With the sentencing, U.S. District Judge Julien Xavier Neals brought a major case to a close that underscores the ongoing fight against violent crime and drug distribution in Newark.
For his part in a drug distribution network that operated in the Lincoln Park neighborhood of Newark between June and September 2022, Holland was detained and entered a guilty plea on May 15, 2023. Holland was charged with possessing weapons and ammunition while a convicted felon, assisting narcotics traffickers with the use of firearms, and participating in a scheme to distribute cocaine and fentanyl.
Federal, state, and local law enforcement organizations collaborated throughout the investigation to unearth a substantial amount of evidence. Thirteen weapons and a number of rounds of ammunition were discovered scattered over multiple homes. Notably, Holland’s own home contained five of these weapons. Notably, Holland acknowledged that he had these guns with the goal of advancing his drug trafficking activities.
Holland has been sentenced to three years of supervised release in addition to prison by Judge Neals, emphasizing the serious legal ramifications of engaging in such criminal action.
The successful resolution of this case was largely due to the cooperative efforts of several law enforcement organizations, including the Newark Field Office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the New Jersey Division Office of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Essex County Sheriff’s Office, the Newark Police Department, and the Union County Prosecutor’s Office. In August 2017, they collaborated to establish the Newark Violent Crime Initiative (VCI). The goal of this cooperative initiative between the federal, state, and municipal governments was to prevent violent crime in and around Newark.
The government was represented in this case by Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Levin of the National Security Unit of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Newark. Holland’s sentence illustrates the Newark VCI’s and its partner agencies’ unwavering commitment to preserving public safety and taking down networks that endanger the community’s welfare, such as those engaged in violent crime and drug trafficking.
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