A 28-year-old Syracuse woman has been sentenced to five years in prison after New York State Police caught her hauling 336 grams of cocaine and 28.9 grams of methamphetamine toward Schenectady, where prosecutors say she planned to sell and distribute the drugs. Lesly Kantarevic was sentenced on September 22 to five years behind bars followed by two years of post-release supervision, closing out a case that began with a traffic stop nearly five months earlier.
According to The Daily Gazette, Judge Lorraine Diamond handed down the sentence in Schenectady County, capping a prosecution that stemmed from an April 27 traffic stop in Glenville. Troopers stopped the vehicle around 9 p.m. and identified Kantarevic as the front-seat passenger. As reported by NEWS10 ABC, she was accused of driving from her home in Syracuse to Schenectady specifically to sell and distribute illegal drugs.
Troopers reported finding a clear vacuum-sealed bag containing drugs inside the vehicle in Kantarevic's possession, per the same account. Prosecutors said the drugs were packaged in a manner consistent with intended sale and distribution, according to the Schenectady County District Attorney's office. Cocaine and methamphetamine are both classified as controlled substances under New York law.
Guilty Plea to a Felony Count
Kantarevic pleaded guilty on June 16 to one felony count of criminal possession of a controlled substance in the third degree, admitting she possessed a narcotic drug with intent to sell it. That charge falls under New York Penal Law Section 220.16, which, per the New York State Senate, makes it a felony to knowingly and unlawfully possess a narcotic drug with intent to sell it. The five-year prison term handed down at sentencing reflects that felony conviction.
Three other people were in the vehicle at the time of the stop, and each faced separate proceedings in Glenville Town Court. Sarah McCormac, identified as the driver, was convicted June 16 of seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, a misdemeanor, and was sentenced to time served plus one year of conditional discharge.
Passengers Face Lesser Charges
Passenger Chantel Mussi pleaded guilty on May 19 to disorderly conduct, a violation, and received a one-year conditional discharge. Another passenger, Jessica Hill, was convicted July 14 of seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance and was likewise sentenced to time served and one year of conditional discharge. The staggered court dates for McCormac, Mussi and Hill span just under two months, with Kantarevic's felony case concluding last, at her September 22 sentencing.
Drug trafficking cases moving through the Capital Region have surfaced periodically in recent years. A March 2024 New York State Police case in Schenectady involved a woman found with roughly 30 pounds of methamphetamine and 42 grams of cocaine, according to the New York State Police. A separate traffic stop in the region in May 2026 turned up alleged crystal methamphetamine, more than 20 grams of cocaine and buprenorphine, per the Schenectady Daily Voice.
Kantarevic's case now stands closed with her felony sentence, while the three others who were in the car with her faced misdemeanor or violation-level outcomes resolved months earlier in Glenville Town Court.
