Toms River NJ Marijuana Distribution SuspectA Toms River NJ man was busted for marijuana distribution during an appearance in Palisades Interstate Parkway traffic court.

The 26-year-old suspect was in court to answer a speeding ticket he received while driving on the Palisades Interstate Parkway.

Two police officers reportedly spotted the suspect’s vehicle, a Subaru, parked illegally in the parking lot outside the courthouse and the police station. The officers peered inside the vehicle and allegedly noticed marijuana in plain sight.

A subsequent search of the car reportedly led police to find three quart-sized bags of marijuana, a vacuum-sealed bag of pot, six small bags of marijuana, eight jars of pot, a metal grinder, and a digital scale.

According to authorities, the suspect admitted to police officers that he smoked marijuana prior to showing up for his court date.

The suspect was arrested and charged with multiple drug offenses, including possession of marijuana, being under the influence of marijuana, and possession of drug paraphernalia.

The suspect initially faced a fine and possible points on his license for the alleged traffic violation. Now he faces far more severe penalties. As set forth by N.J.S.A. 2C:35-5, the suspect could be charged with a third degree felony because he allegedly had four ounces of marijuana in his vehicle. A conviction on third degree marijuana possession charges could lead to a sentence of 3-5 years in NJ State Prison.

After being placed under arrest and processed, the suspect was taken to the Bergen County Jail in Hackensack, New Jersey. He was being held at the jail in lieu of a $17K bail amount.

For more information about this case, see the NorthJersey.com article entitled “PIP Police: Man in Court on Speeding Ticket Busted on Marijuana Charge.”