A New York couple had more than 2 kilos of cocaine in their car during a traffic stop Wednesday night on Interstate 78 in South Whitehall Township, according to court records.
Alexander J. Bernstein, 30, and Annadel Cruz, 26, were stopped by state troopers at 11:34 p.m. on westbound I-78 near the Cedar Crest Boulevard exit, court records state. Police said the car was going 60 mph in a 55 mph zone and was riding a traffic line for about a half-mile.
When a trooper approached the car, he smelled marijuana smoke coming from the driver's side, police said.
Cruz, the driver, told police the car was a rental and they were driving from New York to Florida. She told the trooper she had smoked marijuana earlier in the day, but not in the car, according to court records. She gave police permission to search the car.
A check of Bernstein's criminal record revealed he had a history of drug possession and delivery violations. He told police he had a bag in the trunk of the car and gave police permission to search it.
The trooper found two brick-size packages in the bag, police said. They were covered in clear plastic wrap and red tape.
Cruz told police that the packages contained soap she had made, but a test revealed that the substance was cocaine, according to court records. The packages weighed a combined 2.372 kilograms, or 5.2 pounds.
Police said they also found a small amount of marijuana in Cruz's bra.
The couple were charged with possession with intent to deliver cocaine, possession of cocaine, conspiracy and possession of drug paraphernalia. Cruz was also charged with possession of a small amount of marijuana, disregarding traffic lanes and speeding.
Both were arraigned by District Judge Jacob Hammond and sent to Lehigh County Prison, Bernstein under $500,000 bail and Cruz under $250,000 bail.
-- Manuel Gamiz Jr.
Copyright 2013 - The Morning Call (Allentown, Pa.)
