Alleged Drug Deal Foiled in East Hanover

A 20-year-old Whippany man was arrested after officers foiled an attempted drug deal in an East Hanover neighborhood, police said.

Luis Urtega was charged with possession of CDS, intent to distribute CDS, possession of packaging materials, possession of paraphernalia and possession of CDS in a motor vehicle.

According to , Urtega was pulled over when officers saw him driving around Glutting Place at about 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 26. Urtega quickly turned around after he saw the cops and headed to Cedar Street, police said.

Police were suspicious because before they saw Urtega, they had just talked to four individuals in another vehicle parked on Glutting Place—not in front of any particular home—who said they were waiting to meet with someone named Luis, police said.

After officers spoke with the driver of the first car, Anthony D'Arcangelo, 19, of Florham Park, D'Arcangelo claimed that he was parked to meet with his friend Luis, who lives on Glutting Street, for lunch. After a discussion with the cops, D'Arcangelo was allowed to go, police said.

Police then saw Urtega driving suspiciously, and ultimately discovered it was him, who D'Arcangelo said he was planning to meet up with, when they pulled him over on Cedar Street, police said.

Urtega told the cops he was heading 7-Eleven, and was coming from his Glutting Place home, which was later proved to be fabricated, police said.

Urtega ultimately admitted to lying, and said he "got scared" when he saw the cops and turned around, police said.

After getting consent to search Urtega's car, Urtega asked the cops if he would get in trouble for having alcohol, and said it was for a party he was planning on having at his house on Glutting Place, police said.

Police said that because Urtega admitted to having alcohol as a minor and with the intent to illegally distribute it, they were obligated to take it.

Once the cops serched Urtega's car, they found a bag with a large bag of marijuana, glass pipes with marijuana residue and glassine bags used to package marijuana, two white pills, an "AWS" digital scale covered in pot residue, "food saver" clear plastic bags, two glass "mason jars" with pot residue and a clear plastic pouch with pot residue, police said.

Urtega was then arrested and taken to police headquarters, processed and released on his own recognizance, police said.