STAFFORD — Two Barnegat residents are facing drug charges after a police investigation that began with a traffic stop on Route 9 led to the discovery of suspected cocaine, authorities said.
Stafford Township police said the Drug Enforcement Unit pulled over a vehicle around 8 p.m. on November 12 near Sugarhill Road. During the stop, detectives developed suspicion that the occupants — Crystian Cerrato-Mejia, 22, and Alejandra Oyuela, 22 — were in possession of illegal drugs.
A department K-9, Venus, was brought in to check the exterior of the vehicle and alerted officers to the presence of narcotics, police said. The vehicle was then seized while detectives sought a search warrant. Both occupants were released from the scene that night.
The following day, investigators obtained a court-authorized warrant and searched the vehicle, where they reported finding a quantity of suspected cocaine.
Cerrato-Mejia and Oyuela were both charged with third-degree cocaine possession and with wandering to obtain a controlled dangerous substance, a disorderly persons offense. They were processed at police headquarters and released on summonses pending a future appearance in Ocean County Superior Court.
