Crime & Safety

Prosecutor Warns of Fentanyl-Laced Heroin in Bergen

Upper Saddle River man faces drug-induced death, manslaughter charges and is accused of having his daughter help destroy evidence.

A 44-year-old Bergen County man has been accused of killing a Ramsey resident with a drug concoction in place of heroin and then had his teenage daughter destroy evidence, the prosecutor's office said.

The deadly mixture that included Fentanyl killed Daniel Lajterman, whose body was found last Sunday afternoon in his Roandis Court home, Bergen County Prosecutor John Molinelli said.

Darius Ghahary, of Upper Saddle River, has been charged with first-degree strict liability for drug-induced death, second-degree manslaughter, hindering apprehension and tampering with evidence. He's also charged with maintaining a drug factory and distributing heroin.

His daughter, Alynn Ghahary, 19, has been charged with hindering apprehension and tampering with evidence.

Darius Ghahary is believed to have been dealing throughout the northern Bergen County area and anyone who has drugs from him should not use them, Molinelli said.

According to Molinelli, Lajterman purchased from Darius Ghahary what he believed was heroin. However, he was given a "deadly poly-drug substance" that Ghahary mixed together, Molinelli said.

Fentanyl, a synthetic opiate that is 80 times more potent than Morphine, is believed to be among the substances Ghahary mixed, Molinelli said.

Lajterman, a Bergen Community College student, graduated in 2013 from Ramsey High School where he played football with Ghahary's son, according to NorthJersey.com.

"It is alleged that the drugs Ghahary sold to the victim directly led to the overdose and death," Molinelli said.

Search warrants were executed on Monday and Tuesday at Ghahary's residence and several of his storage facilities.

Large quantities of Fentanyl, Oxycodone, Xanax, Adderall, Hydromorphone, Synthetic THC, steroids, Molly (MDMA), marijuana and other drugs were found, Molinelli said.

The drugs were found in powder and pill forms and large quantities of packaging materials and mixing agents were found, Molinelli said.

"It is believed that Mr. Ghahary used these controlled dangerous substances and associated cutting agents to concoct his own mixture of drugs, which he purported to be heroin," Molinelli said.

Darius Ghahary is being held at the Bergen County Jail in lieu of $750,000 bail with no 10 percent option.


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