Turnpike Stop In East Rutherford Unearthed Cocaine, Fentanyl, Feds Say

EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ — A man driving a tractor-trailer erratically in East Rutherford Monday was found to have 70 kilograms of cocaine and 25 kilograms of fentanyl in his truck, according to U.S. Attorney Philip Sellinger.

Alejandro Nouel Lajud, 39, of Yonkers, New York, has been charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute cocaine and fentanyl.

He remains in federal prison as of Thursday and was not released on bail, due to the severity and large amounts of the illegal drugs.

State Police initially stopped the tractor-trailer Monday because it was driving erratically on the Turnpike in East Rutherford. Police searched the tractor-trailer and discovered approximately 95 brick-shaped packages, each of which weighed approximately one kilogram.

Approximately 70 of the packages contained suspected cocaine and approximately 25 contained suspected fentanyl.

U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of the New York Strike Force, under the direction of Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent in Charge Frank A. Tarentino III, with the investigation leading to the charge.

This investigation is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Strike Force. The strike force was formed because the New York/New Jersey area has been deemed by the DEA as a "High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area."

The aim of that special federal law enforcement task force is to dismantle the most significant drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs and international criminal organizations.