FORT LEE, N.J. - A Las Vegas man facing drug charges for allegedly having $250,000 worth of marijuana in his motel room said he needed to make money to pay off college loans.
Pierre Werner, 28, led police to his room at a Route 46 motel Tuesday after being arrested in New York City by a narcotics task force.
Fort Lee detectives found 170 pounds of marijuana bundled in one and two-pound packages wrapped in plastic. They were in two large suitcases and most of the room's dresser drawers.
''You can't really hide 170 pounds of marijuana,'' said Detective Lt. William Cullen. ''He put it wherever he could find a place.''
Werner told police he was supposed to deliver the drugs to two people in Manhattan, and described himself as a simple courier, police said.
Detectives have been unable to determine the source of the drugs, but were able to determine that Werner brought them to Bergen County in a car he rented in Las Vegas.
He was ordered held at Bergen County Jail on $500,000 bail, charged with possession of marijuana with intent to distribute.
