Two Arrested For Cocaine Possession In Routine Traffic Stop

A routine traffic stop for obstructed view and tinted windows yielded a much more serious offense last Tuesday, when the Bernards police arrested two individuals for cocaine possession.

Officer Slawomir Zolnierowski spotted the vehicle, a 2003 Nissan, traveling westbound on Route 78 in Bernards on June 1 around 11:40 a.m. The car was occupied by two males, driver Reginald Crosby, 34 years old from Hagerstown, MD, and passenger Khalil Hassan, 32 years old from Brooklyn, NY.

"While interacting with the occupants, the officer obsered that the driver was overly nervous," Lt. Ted Reese of the Bernards Police Department said. "The officer requested consent to search the vehicle, and consent was granted."

Zolnierowski found 3.5 ounces of powder cocaine in the trunk of the vehicle (approximate street value $3,300), according to the police report.

Both of the vehicle's occupants were arrested.

Crosby was charged with manufacture / distribution of a controlled dangerous substance (CDS), possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of CDS in a motor vehicle and obstructed view / tinted windows. Hassas was charged with manufacture / distribution of CDS and possession of CDS.

Both defendants are being held in the Somerset County Jail, with bail set at $100,000 for each individual.