Police Seize 27 Pounds of Pot in Ulster County

Members of the Ulster Regional Gang Enforcement Narcotics Team (URGENT) seized 27 pounds of marijuana and charged two on Friday as part of an ongoing investigation into a marijuana trafficking operation.

Ulster County Sheriff's Office deputies conducted a traffic stop on Colonel George Chandler Drive in the Town of Ulster on Friday based on information developed by URGENT officers. Deputies searched Edward F. Genther's car using a sheriff's K9 and discovered 27 pounds of marijuana valued at $80,000 to $90,000, according to a press release from URGENT. Genther, 43, of Freehold was charged with felony criminal possession of marijuana and traffic infractions and his car was seized pending forfeiture proceedings.

URGENT and Ulster Town police executed a search warrant at 144 Harwich Street in the Town of Ulster later that day. The search yielded 65 grams of marijuana and $12,000. A resident of the home, Adam D. Coddington, 33, was charged with misdemeanor criminal possession of marijuana.

Information leading to Friday's searches developed out of an April 2015 investigation in marijuana trafficking in Kingston, Esopus and Ulster. At that time, URGENT and City of Kingston executed a search warrant at 130 Pearl Street in Kingston. Approximately a quarter pound of marijuana was seized during the search, according to the URGENT press release.