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Rochelle Park Officer Makes Pair Of Pot Busts In Hours-Apart Stops

ROCHELLE PARK, N.J. – A Rochelle Park police officer made a pair of pot busts within hours of one another before dawn Friday, authorities said.

Cassandra M. Gould

Cassandra M. Gould

Photo Credit: COURTESY: Rochelle Park PD
Edwin Nunez (left), Elvis Bonifacio

Edwin Nunez (left), Elvis Bonifacio

Photo Credit: COURTESY: Rochelle Park PD

Officer Ryan Burke was patrolling the area of Essex Street when he stopped a white 2004 Dodge just after midnight because a passenger wasn’t wearing a seat belt, Lt. Dean Pinto said.

Burke smelled raw marijuana coming from inside the car – and then on the driver, 23-year-old Cassandra M. Gould of Lodi, after she got out, Pinto said.

A search turned up six vials of pot, a pipe and a blunt wrapper used to smoke marijuana in her purse, he said.

Gould was released on a Municipal Court summons charging her with drug offenses.

Burke was back on Essex Street when he stopped a 2009 Nissan Versa around 2:40 a.m. for having an obstructed view, Pinto said.

Once again, he smelled pot – as well as several air fresheners -- after approaching the vehicle, the lieutenant said.

Under the driver’s seat, Burke found a sandwich bag of marijuana and under the dashboard a smaller bag of cocaine, he said.

“Throughout the interior were several items of drug paraphernalia,” Pinto said.

In the trunk was “a red nylon bag containing several items used for the packaging and sales of narcotics, including a digital scale, and hundreds of plastic baggies, some of which matched the bag that was found containing cocaine,” he said.

The driver, Edwin Nunez, 26, of Hackensack and his passenger, 20-year-old Elvis Bonifacio of Lodi, admitted the drugs were theirs, Pinto said.

Both were released on summonses charging them with drug offenses, he said.

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