Paramus Man Charged in $10M Cocaine Distribution Scheme

New Jersey State Police have arrested a second Bergen County man in connection with a $10 million cocaine distribution scheme that spanned New York and New Jersey.

Charles Gant, 62, of Paramus, was charged with manufacturing and distribution of drugs, possession of drugs, maintaining a drug facility, money laundering, unlawful possession of a weapon, and certain persons not to have weapons. The arrest follows the August apprehension of Nelson Salcedo, 35, of Englewood, who was found with 266 kilograms of cocaine at a storage facility in Long Island City, New York.

Investigation Details

State police said detectives identified Gant in April as a cocaine and firearms distributor operating from a home in Fort Lee. With assistance from the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office, investigators linked additional homes, vehicles, and co-conspirators to the operation through July.

Gant was arrested without incident in Fort Lee on Aug. 12 after police observed him in a suspected drug transaction in New York. Search warrants executed on his homes and vehicles recovered 15 kilograms of cocaine, one firearm, and approximately $180,000 in cash.

Related Arrest

Two weeks later, on Aug. 26, members of the New Jersey Drug Enforcement Agency, New York police, and other agencies arrested Salcedo after surveillance showed him loading suspected drugs into a vehicle at the Long Island City storage facility. Officials stated that Gant had been supplied with drugs by Salcedo.

The investigation remains ongoing, according to state police.