UNION CITY, N.J. — A tipster with a keen sense of smell sniffed out a Florida man carrying two suitcases loaded with more than 25 pounds of marijuana and more than $10,000 in cash, Union City police said.
Charlie Red, 38, of Miami, was arrested Friday at 7:38 p.m. at 21st Street and Summit Avenue in Union City and was charged with possession of marijuana with intent to distribute within 1,000 feet of a school and 500 feet of a public park, reports said.
Police said a witness called from 20th Street reporting that a strong odor of marijuana was coming from suitcases carried by Red, police said. The witness then saw him drive off in a taxi, reports said.
The Union City Narcotics Task Force stopped the cab and a search turned up the suitcases and shopping bag with 47 resealable bags of marijuana weighing 25.16 pounds, $5,722 in cash in the suitcases and $4,700 stuffed in his pockets, police said.
Appearing in Central Judicial Processing Court via video link from Hudson County jail yesterday afternoon, Red - who was sporting a soul patch on his chin and shaved head - leaned forward as if he had difficulty hearing the translator.
When told of the bail amount, Red told the judge through the translator that he could not afford the bail.
"I don't have that money," Red said.
Hudson County Judge Richard Nieto, sitting in Jersey City, said he set the bail at $250,000, cash or bond, because of the gravity of the offense.
Because he had more than 25 pounds of the drug, Red is looking at a first-degree felony charge and could face up to 20 years in prison, the judge said.
When Red continued to challenge the bail amount, Nieto advised him that he had the right to remain silent and asked him if he planned to hire a private defense lawyer. When the suspect said that he did, the judge recommended that he request any reduction in bail through the attorney.
"This is a very large quantity of marijuana," said Police Chief Charles Everett. "This was probably the third or fourth biggest haul in the 30 years I have been with the department."
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