Jersey City Man Sentenced to 16 Years for Narcotics and Firearms Offenses

Jabar Evans received a 192-month prison sentence for drug distribution and firearms offenses, as announced by U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger.

Jabar Evans, 45, of Jersey City, New Jersey, has been sentenced to 16 years (192 months) in prison for his involvement in narcotics distribution and firearms offenses. Evans was convicted on October 20, 2023, of unlawful possession of a firearm, possession with intent to distribute controlled substances, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

The charges stem from incidents in June 2021 when Evans operated a fentanyl manufacturing facility from a hotel room in Jersey City. On June 22, 2021, Evans relocated his drug operation to a larger room within the same hotel. Surveillance footage captured Evans transferring his belongings during the night. In the process, he accidentally left two firearms in the safe of the old room, which were later discovered by hotel staff and handed over to law enforcement.

Law enforcement officials arrested Evans in his new hotel room, uncovering over 12,000 glassines of fentanyl, bags containing hundreds of grams of uncut fentanyl and methamphetamine, and narcotics packaging and manufacturing equipment. Some of these items were found in plain view, while others were concealed in duffel bags in the ceiling.

The successful investigation leading to Evans' sentencing was credited to the Jersey City Police Department, under the direction of Public Safety Director James Shea, with assistance from FBI special agents in Newark, directed by Special Agent in Charge James E. Dennehy. This investigation was part of the Jersey City Violent Crime Initiative (VCI).