Crime & Safety

Pa. Men Allegedly Found With 11 Ounces of Cocaine

The following arrest information was supplied by the Somerset County Prosecutor's Office. It does not indicate a conviction.

Two Pennsylvania men were allegedly found with nearly $9,000 worth of cocaine following a motor vehicle stop on Martinsville Road Thursday night, Somerset County Prosecutor Geoffrey D. Soriano and Bernards Township Police Chief Brian Bobowicz announced on Monday.

Amilto Hernandez, 43, and Hector J. Quiles, 26, both of Reading, Pa., were charged with first-degree possession of a controlled dangerous substance (cocaine) with the intent to distribute and second-degree conspiracy to distribute a controlled dangerous substance.

The cocaine allegedly seized has a street value of about $8,800, authorities said in a statement.

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Bernards Township Patrol Officer Slawomir Zolnierowski conducted a motor vehicle stop on a 2002 Lincoln on Martinsville Road Thursday at about 12:20 p.m., Soriano said.

After approaching the vehicle, the officer allegedly detected a strong odor of burnt marijuana emanating from the vehicle, authorities reported.

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The driver of the vehicle, Hernandez, gave Zolnierowski consent to search his vehicle, according to the prosecutor's office. After searching the vehicle, officers seized approximately 11 ounces of cocaine, the prosecutor's office said. The prosecutor's office described the quantity of the cocaine as a "large amount."

Both defendants were lodged in the Somerset County Jail. Bail was set by the State Superior Court Judge Robert Reed at $250,000, cash only, for Hernandez, and $250,000 posted either by cash or bond for Quiles, according to the prosecutor's office.


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