A 17-year-old Cambridge resident was arraigned in Cambridge district court yesterday morning for possession of 35 plastic bags of crack cocaine worth about $1,200.
Jomar Benzan, who is not a Harvard student, was arrested by Harvard University Police at 8:45 p.m. Sunday, authorities said.
Harvard officer Wilmon Chipman responded to a noise complaint and saw two men causing a disturbance inside 64 Oxford St, which is a Harvard Real Estate-owned apartment building, according to Harvard Police Lt. Charles A. Schwab.
"When they saw [officer Chipman], they emptied out their pockets onto the floor," Schwab said. "There were 35 small plastic bags which [Chipman] believed contained crack cocaine."
A police source told The Crimson last night that the department believes Benzan was dealing drugs out of the building.
After back-up officers arrived on the scene, Chipman brought the two youths downstairs, but one ran away, Schwab said.
"I don't know if they have enough information [to be able to catch him]," Schwab said.
He said the police sent the plastic Schwab said each bag contains an amount of substance approximately equal to a fingertip, and many of the bags contained multiple "hits" of the substance. Police said the total number of hits of crack seized was about 60; each hit is worth about $20 on the street. The maximum sentence for possession of controlled substance with intent to distribute is two-and-a-half years, if the case is kept at the district level and the defendant has no prior history, Cambridge Police Det. Stan J. Gedaminsky, a member of the vice narcotics squad, said yesterday. The minimum sentence would be probation, he said. The seriousness of the charge varies with the defendant's criminal history and also depends on whether the case eventually is brought to superior court, Gedaminsky said. Schwab said the two youths, who are both under 21, were also carrying "a couple of six-packs of beer." No one answered telephone calls to the Benzan residence on Oxford St. last night
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