Sparta NJ police arrested two Pennsylvania women after allegedly finding them in possession of crack cocaine.

A Sparta NJ police officer pulled over a vehicle being driven by 57-year-old Nancy Sandoval after he witnessed the 1995 green Buick sedan driving erratically on Route 15. When the officer stopped the vehicle, he allegedly saw a glassine fold in plain view on the rear passenger’s seat, which was occupied by 39-year-old Patricia Thompson.

The officer also said that he could see a butcher’s knife poking out from under the driver’s seat.

Additional officers were called to the scene to help remove Sandoval and Thompson from the vehicle. Police said that Thompson, the owner of the vehicle, then gave the officers permission to conduct a search of the car. The search alleged turned up a cigarette pack with a single rock of crack cocaine, an empty glassine fold with heroin, and a large butcher’s knife.

Sandoval and Thompson were arrested and taken to Sparta NJ police headquarters, where officers allegedly found two more large rocks of crack cocaine in Thompson’s pockets.

Sandoval and Thompson were charged with possession of crack cocaine, possession of drug paraphernalia, and unlawful possession of a weapon.

In New Jersey, cocaine possession is addressed by N.J.S.A. 2C:35-10(a)(1). According to the statute, possession of cocaine can be classified as a third degree criminal offense. In this case, if Sandoval and Thompson are convicted of third degree cocaine possession, they could each be sentenced to as many as five (5) years in state prison.

To learn more, access the NJ.com article entitled “Pennsylvania Women Had Crack Cocaine, Butcher’s Knife in Car, Sparta Police Say.“

If you’ve been arrested for a drug crime in New Jersey, contact Morristown NJ criminal defense attorney Alissa D. Hascup for a free consultation about your case.