Fort Lee New Jersey Man Arrested at JFK Airport in New York, Accused of Carrying Cocaine
A man from Fort Lee NJ was recently arrested after police reportedly discovered him concealing cocaine at Kennedy International Airport in New York.
According to authorities, the 58-year-old suspect was at Kennedy International Airport so that he could travel to the Dominican Republic.
When the suspect passed through screeners at the airport, officials became suspicious of his carry-on bag. So they alerted Port Authority officers at the scene.
A police officer searched the bag and allegedly discovered a stereo amplifier inside. According to the officer, the speaker had been gutted and filled with slightly more than one kilogram of cocaine. The speaker was also allegedly lined with lead foil so that the cocaine would not be detected.
Police arrested the suspect at Terminal 4. He was charged with felony possession of cocaine.
The suspect will be tried in a New York Court because the arrest was made in New York.
If the suspect had been arrested in New Jersey, he would be subject to significant penalties. N.J.S.A. 2C:35-10 typically classifies cocaine possession as a third degree criminal offense. A conviction for third degree cocaine possession in New Jersey carries a potential sentence of 3–5 years in New Jersey State Prison.
For additional information, check out the NJ.com article entitled “Fort Lee Man Arrested at JFK with Cocaine Inside an Amplifier.”