Hawthorne Motor Vehicle Stop Turns Out 17 Bricks Of Heroin, Syringe In Underwear

A car passenger from New York had 17 bricks of heroin in his car and a syringe in his underwear when he was stopped by Hawthorne police officers, authorities said.

Marcus Velez, 28 of Liberty, N.Y.
Photo Credit: *Hawthorne PD*

Cecilia Levine

07/20/2018 4:31 p.m.

Police officers noticed that Marcus Velez, 28 of Liberty, N.Y., seemed nervous and had track marks indicating intravenous drug use on his arms while speaking to him during a Goffle Road motor vehicle stop for violations last week, Detective Joseph DiGeronimo said.

Speaking to officers outside of the car, he admitted he had heroin in the back seat. A total of 850 glassine envelopes of suspected heroin were located by police, DiGeronimo said.

The driver was released with motor vehicle tickets.

While at headquarters, authorities discovered that Velez had a syringe in his underwear, the detective said.

He is facing charges of:

Distribution of Heroin
Possession of Heroin
Distribution within 500 feet of Park
Possession of Syringe

Velez was transported to Passaic County Jail pending a detention hearing.

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