Utica Police Seize Heroin, Cocaine And Meth During Traffic Stops

Utica Police seized a quantity of drugs during two separate traffic stops on Thursday night.

Officers conducting proactive patrols stopped a vehicle on the 1200 block of Steuben Street.

Police say a search of the driver and the vehicle allegedly yielded several individually tied baggies believed to be containing methamphetamine, along with nearly $1,200 in cash.

40-year-old Tha Leh Pow was arrested and charged with the following:

Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance 3rd
Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance 7th
He was also charged with vehicle and traffic violations

Utica Police

About 90 minutes later, officers with the UPD Crime Prevention Unitt were conducting proactive patrols when they stopped a vehicle near the intersection of Layette Street and State Street for vehicle and traffic violations.

The investigation revealed that the driver of the vehicle was driving with a suspended New York State driver's license.

Officers allegedly found felony level cocaine and a quantity of heroin under the front passenger seat where a man had been seated prior to his exit from the vehicle.

Both the driver and passenger, 63-year-old Ramon Rivera of Utica, were taken into custody and transported to the Utica Police Department.

Rivera was charged with the following:

Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance 3rd
Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance 4th
Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance 7th

Utica Police

The driver of the vehicle was charged with vehicle and traffic law violations.

[AUTHOR'S NOTE: This post is for informational purposes and is based largely on information received from the Utica Police Department. The reader is reminded that all suspects and arrested persons are innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law. At the time of this posting no additional information is available.]

10 Most Dangerous Cities in New York, 3 in CNY

3 of the top 10 most dangerous cities in the Empire State are in Central New York.

21 New York State Counties With The Most Horrendous Commute Times

Have you ever stopped and added up how much time you spend behind the wheel? What are the worst commute times for counties across New York State?

How bad do we REALLY have it in New York State when it comes to our commute times? According to The U.S. Census Bureau, the national average for a one-way commute to or from work is 26.9 minutes and 9.3% of workers nationwide have a one-way commute of 60 minutes or more. Here in New York State, the mean travel time to work in minutes for workers age 16 years+ between 2016-2020 was around 33.5 minutes.

Which counties across the state are the worst?