A man accused of having 41 kilograms of cocaine in his car when he was pulled over on Interstate 87 in Yonkers has pleaded not guilty.
Elvin Caballero Diaz, 50, was arraigned Monday, Dec. 22, in Westchester County Court on an indictment charging him with first-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, a felony that carries a maximum sentence of life in prison.
Diaz and Jahdiel Cordero were traveling north on I-87 just after 9 p.m. on Oct. 27 when they were pulled over by a state trooper at Exit 4 in Yonkers. Police said the reason for the traffic stop was that the car had a dirty or covered license plate and had made an unsafe lane change.
According to court documents, Diaz consented to a search of the car. He said the car belonged to a friend of his and that he had been traveling between Boston and Union, NJ to look at an SUV he was thinking of buying.
Both men were charged in Yonkers City Court with first- and third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance. The first-degree charge accuses them of having more than 8 ounces of cocaine; the third-degree charge accuses them of possessing the drugs with intent to sell.
Diaz was only indicted on the higher charge.
Aaron Wallenstein, the lawyer for both defendants, was not in court on Monday but told The Journal News/lohud later that Diaz denied any knowledge of contraband in the car.
Online court records suggest Cordero, 18, has not been indicted as his case is still in city court, with his next appearance scheduled for January.
The criminal complaint charging the two men listed a Lowell, Mass. address for Cordero and a Bronx address for Diaz, although Diaz told the trooper he was on his way back home to Boston when he was pulled over.
Bail was not requested for Diaz and Westchester Judge Sheralyn Pulver returned him to the county jail.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Man accused of having 41 kilos of cocaine in car pleads not guilty
Reporting by Jonathan Bandler, Rockland/Westchester Journal News / Rockland/Westchester Journal News
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