Police Find $750K In Heroin In Vehicle's Secret Compartment

Police found three kilograms of heroin worth more than $750,000 in a car’s secret compartment during a traffic stop Thursday, authorities said.

Fort Lee Detective T.J. Cullen stopped a 2007 Toyota Camry traveling north on Route 1 at Hazlitt St. for a motor vehicle violation, Detective Capt. Stanley Zon said.

The driver, Juan Polanco, 44, told Cullen he was friends with the Philadelphia man the vehicle was registered to, but did not know the man’s name, Zon said, and also told Cullen he was traveling to Trenton “for a short period.”

Cullen thought Polanco’s story was “suspicious” and continued his investigation and found a hidden compartment when he checked the car’s undercarriage, Zon said.

The compartment was accessed through the center console and Cullen found three kilograms of heroin inside worth more than $750,000, Zon said.

These hidden compartment are often used to hide large amounts of drugs, guns, and cash used in money laundering, police said.

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Polanco, of New York City, was charged with first-degree heroin distribution. Judge John DeSheplo set his bail at $250,000, police said.

Polanco was transported to the Bergen County Jail on the bail, Zon said.