NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — Two men were charged last week when cops allegedly found two kilos of fentanyl during a traffic stop in Queens, District Attorney Melinda Katz announced Tuesday.
Luis Navarro Gonzalez, 26, and Juan Esquer, 48, were arraigned in Queens Criminal Court, charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance in the first, fifth and seventh degree and a traffic violation.
According to Katz, Navarro Gonzalez, of California, was allegedly driving a silver Ford Escape on Dec. 1 in Bayside, Queens, as Esquer, of Mexico, sat in the passenger seat.
Gonzalez allegedly made a right turn without using a signal which resulted in police eventually pulling the SUV over.
Cops executed a court-authorized search warrant and recovered the fentanyl inside the car which was wrapped in green saran wrap bricks hidden in the passenger's side air bag.
A police lab confirmed the substance found was fentanyl.
"Fentanyl has played a key role in the dramatic increase we’ve seen in fatal drug overdoses in Queens," Katz said. "It is a dangerous drug that must be kept off our streets."
On Friday, Judge Karen Gopee ordered the two men to return to court on Feb. 1. If convicted, both face up to 20 years in prison.