ICE Request Denied, Judge Frees Bronx Couple After Half-Pound Coke Bust In Fort Lee

A Dominican couple living together in the Bronx who were nabbed by Bergen County prosecutor’s detectives with what authorities said was a half-pound of cocaine in Fort Lee were ordered released by a judge in Hackensack despite the federal government’s request that one of them remain held.

Sandino Genao-Gonzalez, Johanna Rosario-Arias
Photo Credit: *MUGSHOTS: Courtesy BERGEN COUNTY PROSECUTOR*

Jerry DeMarco

01/09/2020 5:49 p.m.

The cocaine being carried by Sandino Genao-Gonzalez, a 40-year-old cook, and Johanna Rosario-Arias, a 38-year-old home attendant, had a street value of $12,500, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said Thursday.

Both were charged with possession with the intent to sell the drug and sent to the Bergen County Jail on Monday, the prosecutor said.

A Central Judicial Processing Court judge in Hackensack less than 24 hours later ordered them released, with conditions, pending further court action, Musella said.

This came despite a request from ICE that Genao-Gonzalez be detained pending a federal hearing in Newark to determine his U.S. residency status, records show.

Both are listed in court records as Dominican nationals.

******

ALSO SEE: Authorities Thursday night identified two men captured by Bergen County prosecutor's detectives after a pursuit that topped out at 100 miles an hour ended when their car crashed off Route 80 in Hackensack.

https://dailyvoice.com/new-jersey/hackensack/police-fire/nyc-pair-charged-in-high-speed-route-80-chase-crash-in-hackensack/781665/

******

Click here to follow Daily Voice Fort Lee and receive free news updates.