Niskayuna police arrested Gregory Trantham, 34, of Green Street, Schenectady, for first-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance after a traffic stop Friday, May 11.
Members of the Niskayuna Police Department had been conducting surveillance of a residence on Crescent Road when Trantham was observed leaving the residence in a 2001 Acura CL around 4:30 p.m. According to Officer Dan McManus, the vehicle ran a stop sign and nearly caused an accident at the corner of Nott Street and Clifton Park Road.
Police stopped the vehicle and a drug recognition expert from the Niskayuna Police Department determined that the suspect had allegedly been driving with his ability impaired by drugs.
Trantham’s vehicle was impounded, and during a search, about 22 ounces of crack cocaine worth about $26,000 was found in the vehicle’s glove compartment.
As a result of Trantham’s arrest, a search warrant for the Crescent Road residence was executed and two 9 mm handguns, more than $25,000 in cash, jewelry worth $55,000 and a 2003 Lincoln Navigator were seized.
The arrest was the result of an ongoing investigation by the Niskayuna police, state police Community Narcotics Enforcement Team (CNET) and the U.S. Department of Probation into suspected drug activity within the town.
McManus said surveillance of the Crescent Road residence began in February.
Schenectady County District Attorney Robert Carney said this arrest would not have been possible if it weren’t for the assistance of the drug recognition expert. He said in a normal situation, without the presence of alcohol, a case couldn’t have been made for an arrest.
This is a significant step forward for law enforcement, Carney said.
Carney said he isn’t surprised that the arrest took place in Niskayuna, one of the more upscale communities in the county.
`The seizure of 22 ounces of crack cocaine is significant no matter where it takes place. It is rare for Niskayuna, but we aren’t surprised there is drug use throughout Schenectady County,` he said.
Carney said Trantham actually had a pending court case from an April arrest when 1.6 grams of crack cocaine and $23,000 were found. Carney said Trantham made bail in that situation.
In this case, Trantham was sent to the Schenectady County Sheriff’s Office without bail. McManus said this is probably the largest drug arrest in Niskayuna’s history. Carney said in his 17 years as district attorney, he hasn’t seen a larger load of drugs.
An active arrest warrant has been issued for Handiel Tesheira, 29, who lives at the Crescent Road residence. Police said Tesheira might be operating a black 1996 Acura sedan with New York registration DVA6759.
Anyone with information about Tesheira is asked to contact local law enforcement agencies.“