Illegal Narcotics and Thousands in Cash Discovered in Traffic Stop Arrest in Sullivan County

Members of the New York State Police were once again patrolling roadways in Sullivan County recently and it resulted in yet another traffic stop that resulted in an arrest. This incident lead to State Troopers discovering a large quantity of illegal narcotics as well as thousands of dollars in cash.

A Brick and Bands in Liberty

This recent incident took place last week on Thursday, January 15, 2026. It was at approximately 5:47 p.m., members of the New York State Police Troop F CSU (Community Stabilization Unit) observed a 2025 Chrysler traveling westbound on State Route 17 in the Town of Liberty committing multiple Vehicle and Traffic Law violations.

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Troopers engaged with the vehicle and initiated a traffic stop, which the driver complied with. According to the press release issued by the New York State Police, Troopers were able to identify the driver as 54-year old, Angel L. Cruz, of Rochester, NY. At a point in their investigation process, the decision was made to utilize K-9 assistance, and that assistance came in the form of K-9 Moran. K-9 Moran also assisted in a drug bust and arrest that took place earlier this month, you may read about that story in the link provided below.

K-9 Moran and Troopers conducted their exterior search of the vehicle, which would result in K-9 Moran giving a positive alert signal for narcotics. This would lead to a further search of the vehicle, where Troopers discovered approximately 1,105 grams of cocaine, packaged in the form of a brick. Troopers also discovered several stacks of U.S. currency, held together with bands, totaling approximately $8,000.

Cocaine Arrest in Liberty Traffic Stop

Following the discovery made by Troopers in their search of the vehicle, Cruz was placed under arrest and taken into custody. Cruz was transported to State Police Liberty for processing without incident. He was charged with the following:

• Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the 1st Degree, Class A-I felony
• Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the 3rd Degree, Intent to Sell, Prior Conviction, Class B felony
• Multiple Uniform Traffic Tickets

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Later on, Cruz was arraigned in Town of Liberty Court and then remanded to Sullivan County Jail without bail, pending a future court date.