Bernards Twp. Police: Group Was Transporting Heroin to Pennsylvania

Bernards Township police have arrested four people they say were transporting heroin across state borders, hoping to sell it in Pennsylvania.

All four—three Pennsylvania residents and a New Yorker—were committed to the Somerset County Jail in default of bail after the arrest, which stemmed from a Wednesday motor vehicle stop on Route 78.

At 11:40 a.m., Officer Slawomir Zolnierowski saw a 1998 Dodge headed west Route 78 in Bernards Township, according to a police report. Zolnieroski observed that the driver and front-seat passenger were not wearing seat belts, and that the vehicle had an excessively loud muffler, according to the report.

Zolnierowski conducted a motor vehicle stop. The driver, Edward McConaughey, told him he didn't have a license with him, and that in fact his license was suspended, according to the police report.

When Zolnierowski asked McConaughey to exit the car, the driver seemed nervous and couldn't explain his travel plans, police said. What's more, the other passengers reportedly gave conflicting stories about their travel.

Zolnierowski then became suspicious, and requested a consent to search the vehicle, accoring to the police report; Ashley Welsh, the front-seat passenger and registered owner of the vehicle agreed.

Police say Zolnierowski located a box of rice under the driver's seat, and inside the box of rice were two balloons that contained a powder that Zolnierowski suspected to be heroin.

All four individuals were placed under arrest and transported to police headquarters. At headquarters, Detectives Tim King and Mike Sweeney interviewed the occupants of the vehicle, and learned that the group traveled  from Pennsylvania to New York City to purchase heroin, police said. The group had purchased about 18 grams of heroin, with the intent of solling it in Pennsylvania for as much as $3,000, according to police.

Arrested were:

• Driver McConaughey Jr. , 24, of Orbisonia, Pa., on charges of possession of a controlled dangerous substance with intent to distribute, driving while suspended, failure to wear a seat belt and having a loud muffler. His bail was set at $75,000.
• Laurvie Williams, 46, of White Plains, New York, on charges possession of a controlled dangerous substance with intent to distribute. Williams' bail was set at $100,000.
• Dominick Pugliese, 49, of Mount Union, Pa., on charges of possession of a controlled dangerous substance with intent to distribute. His bail was set at $100,000.
• Car owner Ashley Welsh, 23, of Orbisonia, Pa., on charges of possession of a controlled dangerous substance with intent to distribute and failure to wear a seat belt. Her bail was set at $75,000.