Albert Barnes and Michael Gayle were arrested after officers caught them in the middle of a drug transaction, police say.
TRENTON -- Two men were arrested and charged with drug offenses after police say they caught them engaging in a drug deal on Hanover Street Sunday night.
Patrol officers were in the area of West Hanover and Camden streets when they noticed Albert Barnes, 40, and Michael Gayle, 47, engaging in suspicious activity, police spokesman Lt. Rolando Ramos said.
When Gayle, a Trenton resident, gave Barnes money, Barnes reached into his pocket, at which point officers made themselves known, Ramos said.
Officers detained Barnes, a Hamilton resident previously of Trenton, and reached into his left pocket, where they found a tied sandwich bag with 3 grams of powdered cocaine, Ramos said. Police also recovered $58 suspected to be proceeds from the deal.
When officers turned their attention to Gayle, they noticed he was slurring his speech, Ramos said. The police asked him to open his mouth, and Gayle spit out a glass crack pipe and attempted to step on it, but the officers prevented him from doing so.
Barnes was charged with possession and distribution of cocaine with intent to distribute within 1,000 feet of a school and 500 feet of a park.
Gayle was charged with hindering apprehension and possession and intent to use drug paraphernalia.
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