According to accounts, a New York City man who was arrested with thousands of fentanyl tablets in Chelsea was freed without posting bail.
New York City police claimed that around 2 p.m., they arrested 49-year-old Manuel Pagan and charged him with illegal possession of a prohibited narcotic after they discovered he had about 20,000 tablets of fentanyl on him.
Pagan has been charged with two felonies: criminal possession of drugs with distribution intent and criminal possession of more than 8 ounces of narcotics, according to the New York State Unified Court System website. One is a class B felony whereas the other is a class A felony of the first degree.
According to court records obtained by the New York Post, officials believe the tablets' various hues indicate that they were intended to lure in the young.
In 2020, the state of New York passed criminal justice reform legislation that did away with cash bail for most felonies and misdemeanours.
Aggravated assault on a person under the age of 11, aggravated vehicular murder, third and fourth degree arson, and encouraging a sexual performance by a minor were all examples of offences that could not be released on bond.
Criminal possession of a controlled drug in the first degree is now a bailable felony according to a change made by the state legislature this year to a criminal justice reform measure originally enacted in 2019 and set to take effect in 2020.
At Pagan's arraignment, the city's Office of the Special Narcotics prosecutor reportedly asked for him to be detained on $100,000 cash bail or $250,000 bond.
Rather, Judge James Clyne of Manhattan freed Pagan without bail.
While Pagan is allowed to "roam the streets," as the Post characterized it, he is under Clyne's supervision and must comply with stipulations such as check-ins.
Pagan will return to court on December 15 at 9:00 a.m.
The preceding is a summary of an article that originally appeared on Fox News.
