HARRISBURG — Attorney General Dave Sunday and the Pennsylvania State Police announced that a Blair County couple was arrested after a traffic stop this week, following a months-long investigation into cocaine trafficking from New Jersey.
Quida Martens, 54, and Toya Kennedy, 32, both of Altoona, and formerly of Newark, were charged Thursday with felony drug trafficking for bringing a kilogram of cocaine to Blair County for street sales.
Kennedy is also charged with felony child endangerment for having her small child in the vehicle during the drug run.
“Thanks to the work of our Bureau of Narcotics Investigation and partners, this large quantity of cocaine never reached Blair County communities,” Attorney General Sunday said. “This case shows the lengths traffickers will go to maintain their trade, with a mother bringing her young child along for the ride. Such behavior is unacceptable, and we will continue to target predatory drug traffickers.”
“This investigation demonstrates the strong working relationship between the Pennsylvania State Police Troop G Vice Unit, the Incident Reaction Team, the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General, and the Blair County Drug Task Force,” Captain Thomas Hertlein, Troop G Commanding Officer with the Pennsylvania State Police said. “Through seamless coordination and shared resources, our agencies worked tirelessly to bring this operation to a successful conclusion. We remain united in our commitment to protecting our communities and holding drug traffickers accountable.”
Mertens was out on bail for a separate drug trafficking case, and was arraigned on the new charges, with bail being set at $400,000 cash.
Kennedy was arraigned and bail was set at $250,000 cash.
Both defendants are at Blair County Prison.
The child is in the care of a relative.
Investigators had been tracking the pair for allegedly traveling to Newark to obtain large quantities of cocaine. On Wednesday night, in communication with the Office of Attorney General, Pennsylvania State Police stopped Kennedy’s vehicle on Interstate 99.
Upon executing a search warrant, investigators found two pounds of cocaine concealed in the trunk, alongside a string of Christmas lights. The drugs have an estimated street value of $90,700. Tyrone Police Department and Bellwood Police Department also assisted in the investigation.
Criminal charges, and any discussion thereof, are merely allegations and all defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
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