Colonie police arrested three suspects on felony possession of marijuana charges on Thursday, Jan. 7, after it received an anonymous tip about where the pot would be picked up.
The three suspects, Michael Beauvais, 22, Ravindra Jeetoo, 30 and Jason R. Phillips, 34, all of Schenectady, were taken into custody after picking up a package from California with approximately 2 lbs. of marijuana in side. Police also recovered $1,100 in cash, according to a police report.
It’s a fairly know way of transporting drugs, Lt. Robert Winn of the Colonie Police Department said.
Winn said the Colonie police reached out to the Drug Enforcement Administration, but they are choosing not to pursue federal charges based on the relatively limited quantity of marijuana.
The arrested was made at the United Parcel Service at 24 Avis Drive. Each were charged with criminal possession of marijuana in the second degree, a felony.
Winn said it is unknown if the marijuana was for resale or for the use of the three subjects, but said no additional charges could be added even if it were determined the three were planning to sell.
He said possession of marijuana weighing between 1 lbs. and 10 lbs. is a D class felony, while more than 10 lbs. is a C class felony. New York state does not have an additional charge for intention to sell for marijuana, he said, but there are additional felony charges for intent to sell a controlled substance, though, that does not apply in this case.
Winn said the tip leading to the arrest was anonymous, but had enough information that police were able to identify the suspects even in the hectic traffic of the UPS location.
`The tip was detailed enough so we knew where and we knew when,` he said.
Winn made a point to note the three suspects have no affiliation with the UPS and are not employees there.“