New Jersey State Police (NJSP)

By Cecilia Levine From Daily Voice

A secret compartment inside a Jeep led detectives to several kilos of cocaine and the indictment of two men accused of moving drugs from Texas into New Jersey, authorities announced Wednesday, Nov. 19.

Carlos E. Tavarez-Sanchez, 37, of Paterson, and Carlos Martinez, 45, of New York City, were indicted by a state grand jury after investigators found cocaine hidden in a vehicle and nearly $90,000 in cash inside a Paterson home, according to Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin. 

According to documents filed in the case, the New Jersey State Police Drug Trafficking North Unit launched an investigation into Tavarez-Sanchez in December 2024, which revealed he played a role in the trafficking of numerous kilograms of cocaine from Texas to New Jersey for distribution.

Detectives obtained a search warrant for a Jeep transported from Texas to New Jersey on a car carrier. Investigators then developed information suggesting that the vehicle was being used to move bulk quantities of illegal narcotics, Platkin said.

A motor vehicle stop was conducted on the Jeep and a Porsche traveling with it on July 15. As alleged in the complaint, a search of the Jeep revealed approximately 10 kilograms of suspected cocaine hidden in an aftermarket hidden compartment. Tavarez-Sanchez, who was driving the Porsche, and Martinez, who was driving the Jeep, were taken into custody.

Following the arrests, detectives executed a court-authorized search warrant at Tavarez-Sanchez’s Eastside home in Paterson. Inside, they found $87,000 in U.S. currency and a ledger documenting drug deals and fees paid to facilitate transport of the Jeep to Texas by car carrier companies, according to the AG.

According to the indictment, both suspects were charged with first-degree possession with intent to distribute a controlled dangerous substance, second-degree conspiracy, third-degree possession of CDS, and third-degree possession with intent to distribute CDS within 1,000 feet of school property, while Tavarez-Sanchez also faces a second-degree charge of financial facilitation of criminal activity.