Four arrested on drug counts

Four Monroe County residents were arrested on Tuesday on various drug counts after a search warrant was executed on a Stroudsburg apartment.

Pocono Mountain Regional and Stroud Regional police along with members of the county drug task force served the warrant at 6:05 a.m. at 717 Main St., second floor apartment.

Police said present in the apartment were Aracelis Gonzalez, Gary Jacques, Shabazz Nickens, and Robert Medina.

Police said the search resulted in officers finding bulk quantities of marijuana, prepackaged quantities of marijuana consistent with dime bags for street sale, hundreds of empty apple baggies in various sizes used to package narcotics for street level sales, consistent with both cocaine and marijuana packaging.

Police also said they found was $1,500 in U.S. currency in denominations consistent with street level sales of narcotics, a burner with crack cocaine residue (consistent with the manufacture of crack cocaine from powder cocaine form), and a digital scale with apparent marijuana and cocaine residue. Also found, police said, was loose marijuana lying on a table between Nickens and Medina.

As a result of the search and the items found, which police said was consistent with the illegal trafficking of narcotics and was found in common spaces accessible to all occupants of the apartment, the four occupants were taken into custody.

Gonzalez, Nickens and Jacques were each charged with possession with intent to deliver or manufacture crack cocaine and marijuana, criminal conspiracy to commit the delivery of a controlled substance (CS), possession of instruments of crime, possession of CS, and possession of drug paraphernalia. Gonzalez was arraigned before a district judge and committed to the county prison in Snydersville in lieu of $100,000 bail. At the time of the arrest Gonzalez was on bail on pending drug charges filed by Stroud Regional police.

Nickens and Jacques were both arraigned on the charges and committed to the county jail in lieu of $50,000 bail each.

Medina was charged with possession of marijuana and criminal conspiracy possession of drug paraphernalia. He was also arraigned and committed to the county prison in lieu of $25,000 bail.