NORWICH – A man who was arrested behind the wheel of an SUV carrying more than $7,000 worth of heroin and cocaine pleaded guilty in court last week to transporting the drugs through the area.
In early May, a state trooper pulled over 31-year-old Ebae M. Shambley of Utica for not having a proper inspection sticker on his blue 1997 Ford Explorer and discovered the suspect also had a suspended driver’s license.
After impounding the vehicle, the trooper was surprised to discover thousands of dollars worth of packaged cocaine inside. The Greene Police Department’s K-9 unit also discovered thousands more worth of heroin hidden inside the vehicle’s internal paneling.
“The trooper then seized the vehicle and in the course of taking an inventory of the contents, a routine procedure for all seized vehicles that ensures all seized property is later returned, they found a bag containing approximately one and a half ounces (45 grams) of crack cocaine,” said State Police Lt. Patrick Garey.
Trooper Thomas Becker, stationed at Norwich, pulled Shambley over as he was heading north on State Highway 12, in the Town of Norwich, this past Mother’s Day.
In court, District Attorney Joseph McBride said Shambley was transporting the drugs from Philadelphia to his home in Utica, after visiting his sister. Police said Shambley’s fiancee and two children were also in the vehicle at the time of his arrest.
Shambley pleaded guilty to a B class felony, third degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, and admitted to the court that it was his cocaine discovered in the vehicle. He did not admit to having the heroin.
Supreme Court Justice Kevin M. Dowd accepted Shambley’s plea and scheduled his sentencing for a later date.
Dowd approved a furlough on compassionate grounds for Shambley, temporarily releasing him from the Chenango County Correctional Facility, where he has been held on $50,000 since May 10, because his ill father had passed away during Shambley’s incarceration.
McBride said Shambley would received two years in state prison and would be on post-release supervision for five years following his term as part of the agreement.
Garey said depending on where the cocaine is sold, its street value could vary, but he said typically the drug sells for $100 a gram, placing the total value of discovered drugs at around $4,500.
Greene Police Officer Norm Shaffer and his K-9 partner “Larz” discovered 130 individually wrapped bags of heroin in wax paper hidden above the center console inside the roof of the SUV, between the passenger and driver’s seats.
Garey said that on average, each bag contained a street value of roughly $20 each, totaling around $2,600.
Shaffer and Larz also found a small quantity marijuana hidden in the vehicle.
State Police had kept the case low profile in the weeks following Shambley’s arrest, hoping to expand the investigation into the destination and origin or the drugs, but have not made any further arrests.
McBride made no mention of Shambley’s cooperation with authorities and it was unclear if part of his plea agreement involved such conditions.