Man Caught At Mahwah School With 100 Bags Of Heroin: Police

MAHWAH, NJ — A man was arrested Thursday after police found him at Betsy Ross Elementary School with 100 bags of heroin hidden in his pants, authorities announced Friday.

Stephen E. Schlaugies, 20, of Airmont, New York, was charged with possession of heroin and possession with intent to distribute heroin in a school zone, said Chief James N. Batelli.

Police responded to the school after getting several complaints about suspicious vehicles and activity at the school's playground. Police increased patrols there using marked and unmarked vehicles.

Detective Sgt. Kevin Herbert and Detective Eric Larsen saw Schlaugies pull into the school parking lot at 4 p.m. while kids were playing at the playground, Batelli said. The school was closed for the summer, but kids were using the playground.

Police spoke with Schlaugies, who told them he was in the area to fly drones, which he did not have permission to do at the school, and meet a friend; he appeared to be nervous while speaking with the detectives, the chief said.

The detectives searched Schlaugies and found 100 bags of heroin inside a hidden pocket in his pants that was sewn into the groin, Batelli said.

Police also smelled marijuana coming from the inside of the vehicle and searched it; they found a "high concentration" of Tetrahydrocannabinol, the active ingredient in marijuana, known as hash oil, inside the vehicle, Batelli said.

Schlaugies was also charged with possession of marijuana under 50 grams, possession with intent to distribute heroin on property owned by the Mahwah Board of Education, possession of a controlled dangerous substance, hash oil, possession of drug paraphernalia and a having a controlled dangerous substance in a motor vehicle, Batelli said. Schlaugies is due to appear in Bergen County Central Judicial Processing Court July 14.

Batelli commended Hebert and Larsen for their "initiative and alertness" during the investigation.

"Mahwah has a very proactive narcotics interdiction program and these arrests demonstrate the effectiveness, but more importantly, the depth of the heroin program in this area," Batelli said.

Photo: Stephen E. Schlaugies, 20, of Airmont, New York