A man and a woman from Long Island were arrested in Ridgewood earlier this month after police found 200 envelopes of heroin during a traffic stop, the Queens district attorney’s office said.
On Feb. 5, Officer Louis Lodato of the 104th Precinct spotted 29−year−old Farmingville, L.I., resident Christopher Ciano driving a 2006 Honda Accord without a seatbelt near the intersection of Cooper and Cypress avenues, according to a criminal complaint filed by the DA’s office.
As Lodato approached the car, he observed the passenger, 27−year−old Selden, L.I., resident Stephanie Betz, grab a bunch of glassine envelopes from the car’s center console and stuff them down her pants, the DA’s office said.
Lodato identified them as heroin after ordering Betz to remove them, the DA said.
Both Ciano and Betz were charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance, which carries a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison, the DA’s office said. Ciano was also charged with driving without a seatbelt, the DA said.
Both defendants were arraigned Feb. 5. Betz was held on $10,000 bail and Ciano on $5,000. Their next court date is Feb. 27.
— Jeremy Walsh
