Campbell police make 2 drug arrests within hours

Staff report

CAMPBELL

City police made two drug-related arrests within a few hours Thursday night.

Shortly after 7 p.m., police pulled over 21-year-old Lahsen I. Boukrab, of Memorial Circle in Campbell, for failing to yield at the stop sign at the intersection of Courtland Avenue and Gladstone Street.

Boukrab was slow to stop the car, however, and police saw a white object being thrown out of the window.

They later discovered that the object was a plastic bag containing suspected marijuana.

Boukrab admitted to police the marijuana was his, that he had thrown it out of the window, and that the passenger in his car had nothing to do with it, a report said.

He is charged with possession of drugs and drug paraphernalia — a first-degree misdemeanor and a fourth-degree misdemeanor, respectively — and also cited for the traffic offense.

Boukrab appeared in Campbell Municipal Court on Friday, pleading not guilty to the traffic offense. He was released on his own recognizance, and will appear again in court May 2.

Also on Thursday, at about 10:40 p.m., police noticed a car fail to stop at the intersection of Jean and Jackson streets. During the traffic stop, police asked both the car’s driver and its passenger for identification, then searched them both, along with the car.

The passenger — identified as 31-year-old Christopher J. Hill of Market Street in Youngstown — denied having anything illegal on him, but police found 7.2 grams of suspected crack cocaine in a pocket.

Hill told police the drug wasn’t his, and that he was not aware he had it on him. He was charged with possession of drugs, a fourth-degree felony.

He appeared in Campbell Municipal Court on Friday. Bond was set at $4,250, 10 percent cash or surety, for the drug possession charge; at $750, 10 percent cash or surety, for possession of drug paraphernalia; and at $1,000, 10 percent cash only, for a probation violation.