West Deptford Police Seize $19,530 of LSD and a Stun Gun in Highway Stop

At 5:45 p.m. on May 18, West Deptford K9 officer Joseph LaMalfa stopped a gray, 1989 Toyota traveling southbound on I-295 near Exit 19.

The car had a non-functioning tail light, a Delaware license plate—and, as it turned out, four occupants carrying more than $19,500 worth of LSD, a stun gun, and other drug paraphernalia.

During the car stop, LaMalfa noticed that one of the passengers was making movements like he was trying to jam something down in between the seats, police said. He ordered the man, 27-year-old William J. Norris of Elsmere, DE, to exit the vehicle.

While Norris was coming out of the car, police say he threw a piece of paper down on the floor that the officer recognized as a sheet of LSD. The papers were perforated and embossed with a graphic of a cloud. 

Police say that Norris initially provided a false name to LaMalfa, and was found to be in possession of additional hits of LSD on his person. He was arrested and charged with hindering apprehension, possession of a controlled, dangerous substance (CDS), distribution of LSD and failure to turn over CDS to police.

With a street value of $10 per hit, the 1,953 hits of LSD police discovered in the vehicle was reportedly worth $19,530 in total, an amount sufficient to make its possession a crime of the first degree.

Norris was also discovered to have been a fugitive of justice wanted in Kent County, DE for burglary with full extradition. 

Judge Alex Fineman issued a blanket bail for Norris’ charges of $400,000, full-cash. Unable to meet that obligation, he was transported to the Gloucester County correctional facility.

During Norris' arrest, police say that passenger Tanya N. Cockeril, 28, of Wilmington, DE, threw out of the vehicle LSD that has she had been carrying.

Cockeril was also arrested, and was charged with hindering apprehension, possession of CDS, distribution of LSD and failure to surrender CDS to a law enforcement officer.

Fineman issued a blanket bail of $150,000, cash or bond, for Cockeril. She was transported to Gloucester County correctional facility on default of bail.

Police also discovered that the driver of the vehicle, 41-year-old Frank M. Wite of New Castle, DE, was allegedly carrying what they believed to be marijuana and a smoking pipe.

Wite was charged with possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of less than 50 grams of marijuana, failure to surrender CDS to police as well as motor vehicle. He was issued summonses and was released.

Amazingly, the fourth passenger of the vehicle, Tonya Marie Gonzalez, 37, of Elsmere, DE was found to be in possession of a stun gun, which is illegal in New Jersey. She was issued a summons for that as well as for failure to wear a seatbelt, and was released.

The occupants of the car told police that they had obtained the LSD from a nervous attendant of the 93.3-FM MMRBQ concert who was too afraid to take them through security.