Jason Charles pleaded guilty to three drug crimes and was sentenced to 14 years in state prison, in 2013.
TRENTON -- A state appeals court on Thursday upheld the drug convictions of a man who signed for a package of cocaine at a Hamilton apartment in 2010.
Jason Charles Jason Charles, after losing motions at trial to suppress evidence against him, pleaded guilty to three drug crimes and was sentenced to 14 years in state prison, in 2013.
Charles filed a four-point appeal, again arguing evidence seized and the warrant the Mercer County Prosecutor's Office obtained should be thrown out because investigators had no probable cause.
Charles signed for a FedEx package containing about 520 grams of cocaine that was delivered to his Hamilton apartment by a prosecutor's detective wearing a FedEx uniform, the appeals decision says.
The package had been intercepted by the U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement after it was shipped from St. John's, the the capital of Antigua and Barbuda in the Caribbean to the Hamilton address, the decision says.
The prosecutor's office obtained an anticipatory warrant and controlled the delivery, the decision says.
The package was sent to a "Steven Samuel," but investigators found nobody with the name at the apartment and detectives suspected it was destined for Charles.
Court erases man's convictions due to errors
The detective who delivered the package testified that Charles signed a piece of paper for the package, and spelled his name for the detective, the decision says.
The appeals court rejected Charles' arguments about the warrant and the evidence, saying the prosecutor's office had the probable cause and followed the instructions of the judge who signed the warrant.
The decision says Charles could have argued he did not know what was in the package, but by pleading guilty, he waived the right to raise the argument on direct appeal.
The appeals court did order the trial court to merge two of the three drug convictions into one.
Charles, now 39, is currently incarcerated at Bayside State Prison in Cumberland County. He is eligible for parole in November 2018.
Kevin Shea may be reached at kshea@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter@kevintshea. Find NJ.com on Facebook.