Police say a mother of two from Phillipsburg is a drug dealer armed with heavy duty weaponry.
27-year-old Velvet-Ann Campbell-Alam stands accused of being a heavily armed drug dealer whose base of operation was her home on Limekiln Road in Phillipsburg, which is located less than a block away from Andover-Morris Elementary School.
But investigators say what makes this case even worse is that Campbell-Alam was allegedly running the illegal operation under the same roof where she was raising her 5-year-old and 18-month-old children.
Neighbors who know the suspect say they're not just shocked, they're disgusted.
"I know things are bad and the economy is bad and jobs are hard to get, but do what everybody else does, go on welfare," neighbor Gail Greenleaf said.
Acting on a tip, local authorities launched what turned out to be a three month investigation.
Campbell-Alam was arrested earlier this week and the ensuing search inside her home turned up a large supply of marijuana and ecstasy pills, along with an AK-47 assault rifle.
Officials from the nearby elementary school say they're just happy the arrest was made before someone got hurt.
"Even a block away, you're kind of helpless to those situations, so you do your best while the kids are here to protect them and watch out for their welfare," Principal John Consentino said.
Velvet-Ann Campbell-Alam is being held on a number of charges in lieu of $50,000 bail. Meantime, her child, who were being cared for by the Division of Youth and Family Services, have been released to the custody of their maternal grandparents.
