State troopers say what started as a routine traffic stop on Interstate 87 in Malta ended with a Brooklyn man in handcuffs and a multi-pound stash of cocaine off the road.
Online records identify the driver as 41-year-old Lionel J. Manigault of Brooklyn. He is charged with first- and third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance and has also been cited for traffic violations. Troopers brought him to Saratoga County custody, where booking notes list steep bail options as the case moves through the courts.
According to Daily Voice, troopers pulled Manigault over on Sunday, July 5, while he was driving on I-87 in Malta. Investigators seized at least two packages that together weighed more than 1.5 kilograms, just over three pounds, and recovered what police described as a "large amount" of cash. Online court and booking records cited by the outlet show Manigault was held in Saratoga County with bail set at $250,000 cash, a $500,000 insured bond, or a $2 million partially secured bond.
K9 Traffic Stops Turning Into Big Northway Busts
Troopers across the Capital Region have recently been flipping routine Northway stops into sizable drug busts after K9 alerts trigger vehicle searches. A New York State Police press release about a June 23 stop in Albany says a State Police K9 helped detect more than two pounds of cocaine during a standard I-87 traffic stop, underscoring a pattern of K9-assisted finds in the area.
Local coverage has flagged multiple similar incidents in recent weeks, including a recent case highlighted in K9 Anson Sniffs Out Alleged Coke Haul On I-87.
Charges Come With Serious Prison Time
Criminal possession of a controlled substance in the first degree is a class A-I felony in New York, and third-degree possession is a class B felony. The state penal code sets different weight thresholds and penalties for those offenses. See the New York State Senate New York Penal Law §220.21 and the New York State Senate §220.16 for the statutory language.
Daily Voice also notes that online records show a man with the same name, age, and middle initial has prior convictions and a 2020 arrest, although outlets caution those entries may refer to a different individual.
Arraignment details were not immediately available, and prosecutors along with local court filings will determine what comes next. This story will be updated as public records and official filings are released.
