A New Jersey man who was found with a massive amount of fentanyl and crystal meth in his vehicle act a motor vehicle stop, made his first appearance in court to answer to a litany of charges.

U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced that Manuel A. Quinones, 47, of Pennsauken, Camden County is charged by complaint with one count of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and methamphetamine, one count of possession of ammunition by a convicted felon, and one count of possession of firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

His arrest occurred further north from his hometown in East Brunswick, Mercer County on January 31, 2022, where police searched his vehicle, with probable cause, after learning he had drugs in the car.

In a search of the vehicle, police found Quinones to be in possession of approximately 1,000 suspected fentanyl pills and approximately seven pounds of suspected crystal methamphetamine.

To investigate further, police obtained written consent to search his home and they seized additional illegal drugs there along with two firearms, ammunition, a high-capacity drum magazine, and a bulletproof vest.

Quinones, who is previously convicted felon on a controlled substance offense, is now looking at a mandatory minimum of 10-years in prison with a maximum sentence of life behind bars along with a $10-million fine on the charge of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and methamphetamine.

In addition to that, the charge of felony possession of ammunition has a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, and a fine of up to $250,000.

As for the charge on the count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, it could be  a statutory mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison, which would be in addition to any other years served, a maximum potential penalty of life in prison, and a fine of up to $250,000.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark J. Pesce of the OCDETF/Narcotics Unit in Newark.

Defense counsel: Rahul Sharma Esq., Assistant Federal Public Defender, Newark.

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