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The officers pulled over a Nissan Murano for failing to maintain a lane on the highway’s eastbound side around 10 a.m. yesterday and spotted the cash in the glove box, Capt. James Mullin said this morning.
Neither man knew who owned the car, and each gave conflicting stories about the source of the cash, he said.
Refused consent to search the vehicle, the officers obtained a warrant and found 29 heroin bundles wrapped in magazine pages, Mullin said.
Both were charged with heroin possession with the intent to distribute it and money laundering. They were being held on $50,000 bail each in the Bergen County Jail.
The driver was identified as Pablo Baldera, 28, of the Bronx.
Authorities were trying to confirm that the passenger is, in fact, 53-year-old Francisco Medina, as he’d identified himself, the captain said. He admitted being a native of the Dominican Republic in the U.S. illegally, Mullin added.
The INS has issued a deportation detainer on him.
Baldera also received several motor vehicle summons.
Mullin thanked Fort Lee police for assisting.
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