Cops: Man nabbed at airport with cache of heroin

TINICUM » A Jamaicabound man was arrested on drug offenses after he was allegedly found to be in possession of 42 bags of suspected heroin and a vial of methamphetamine at the Philadelphia International Airport over the weekend.

Township police responded to the airport for a subject who had drugs in his possession on June 24 shortly after 9:30 a.m. An investigation revealed that 37-year-old Augustine Passanante of Holland, Pa., “did attempt to pass through the TSA security checkpoint, but an anomaly was detected by the body scanner system,” according to a prepared release by Tinicum Police Chief Stephen M. Edmiston.

The bags of heroin and vial of methamphetamine were revealed during a subsequent screening by TSA, the release states.

Passanante, who was travelling to Montego Bay from Philadelphia, was instead taken into custody by Tinicum police. He was preliminarily arraigned and released after posting bail, which was set at 10 percent of $100,000.

Charges lodged against Passanante include two counts of possession of a controlled substance and one count of use or possession of drug paraphernalia, all misdemeanor offenses, according to online court records. A preliminary hearing listed for July 2 has been continued to Aug. 13, in Magisterial District Judge Jack Lippart’s court.

It was not immediately known if Passanante had retained an attorney.