Bergen County Jury Convicts Man of Transporting 16 Pounds of Marijuana to Paramus

By Travis Tormey posted in Drug Charges on Tuesday, August 20, 2013

A Bergen County jury has convicted a man of illegally transporting 16 pounds of marijuana to New Jersey.

Jurors at the Bergen County Superior Court in Hackensack needed less than a day to deliberate before convicting Yordanis Reyes.

Mr. Reyes had been accused of bringing 16 pounds of pot to the parking lot of a Chili’s Restaurant at the Garden State Plaza in Paramus, New Jersey. Mr. Reyes intended to sell the pot to a buyer who was actually an undercover detective.

At trial, Mr. Reyes’ co-defendant, Alejandro Barcena, testified that Mr. Reyes was the lead man in several drug deals. According to the Bergen County prosecutor, Mr. Reyes was in charge of “a fairly sophisticated operation that involving bringing up large amounts of marijuana from the south by truck.”

Mr. Reyes was sentenced to six (6) years in state prison. The judge also suspended Mr. Reyes’ ability to receive a New Jersey driver’s license for one (1) year after he is released from prison. Mr. Reyes is a Florida resident.

In New Jersey, possession of marijuana with intent to distribute is addressed by N.J.S.A. 2C:35-5. As set forth by the statute, distribution of between five (5) and 25 pounds of marijuana is classified as a second degree felony. Although Mr. Reyes received a six-year prison sentence, he could have been sentenced to as many as ten (10) years in New Jersey State Prison.

Mr. Barcena has already pleaded guilty to marijuana possession with intent to distribute. Prosecutors are recommending a five-year prison sentence in exchange for his cooperation in testifying against Mr. Reyes.

For more information, see the CliffivewPilot.com article entitled “Trucker Gets Six Years for Trafficking 16 Pounds of Pot to Paramus.“