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Officer John Adams stopped the black 2008 Honda after smelling burning marijuana Thursday night, the authority’s Joseph Pentangelo told CLIFFVIEW PILOT this morning.
The driver couldn’t produce a driver’s license (which was suspended) or registration, he said.
Asked about the car’s ownership, 39-year-old Manuel G. Rodriquez “gave conflicting statements and volunteered that he had been smoking a joint,” Pentangelo said.
The officer said that Rodriguez’s clothing also reeked of pot and that his eyes were bloodshot and watery.
Rodriguez consented to a search, “admitting he had a joint on the floor next to the driver’s seat,” Pentangelo said.
The search turned up three joints, a black plastic bag containing $39,930 on the back seat and various air fresheners scattered throughout the vehicle — as well as $1,191 in Rodriguez’s front pocket, he said.
Soon after, a K-9 unit “indicated the presence of contraband in an empty cooler in the trunk and indicated on the money seized,” Pentangelo said.
Rodriguez and his passenger — 28-year-old Jessica Torres — were arrested on drug charges.
Rodriguez also was charged with financial facilitation of a crime and driving under the influenece with both a suspended license and drugs in the vehicle.
They were given Aug. 7 court dates and released.
The money was vouchered pending forfeiture proceedings, Pentangelo said.
IMAGES: Courtesy PORT AUTHORITY PD
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