Philadelphia man faces jail term for drug trafficking in Cheltenham

A Philadelphia man is headed to jail after he pleaded guilty to a drug trafficking-related charge after he was found with quantities of cocaine during a traffic stop in Cheltenham.

Andre Jones, 33, of the 4900 block of Royal Street, was sentenced in Montgomery County Court to 3 to 23 months in the county jail after he pleaded guilty to a felony charge of possession with intent to deliver cocaine in connection with a September 2020 incident in Cheltenham.

Judge Thomas M. DelRicci, who accepted a plea agreement in the matter, ordered Jones to report to the county jail in Eagleville on March 30 to begin serving the sentence.

The investigation began about 1:14 a.m. Sept. 17, 2020, when a Cheltenham Township police officer on duty in the area of Ogontz Avenue in the Wyncote section of the township observed a Chevrolet Malibu proceed through a red traffic signal while turning left onto eastbound Cheltenham Avenue, according to an arrest affidavit.

The officer conducted a traffic stop of the vehicle and determined it was operated by Jones.

“Upon approach of the vehicle I could smell a slight odor of unburnt marijuana coming from inside the vehicle,” Cheltenham Police Officer Vincent Hall wrote in the criminal complaint, adding Jones told police he had a small amount of marijuana inside a pouch he was carrying.

As Jones searched for identifying documents he opened a shoulder bag in which police noticed a significant amount of cash, court documents indicate. Jones allegedly told police he did not own the vehicle and that he did not have a valid driver’s license.

“I could see several cellphones throughout the vehicle which were ringing,” Hall wrote in court papers.

Jones consented to a search of the vehicle, police said.

During that search, police recovered two sandwich-type bags containing a total of 45 small packets containing a chalky white substance consistent with crack cocaine, according to the criminal complaint. Police also recovered a box of sandwich bags from the glove compartment.

“These items are consistent with use for narcotics packaging,” Hall alleged.

The total weight of the cocaine was about 16 grams, police said. Authorities also seized five cellphones and $1,188 in cash in numerous locations in the vehicle and on Jones’s person.

Other charges of possession of a small amount of marijuana, driving under suspension and failure to stop at a red signal were dismissed against Jones as part of the plea agreement.