2 Nyack brothers charged in 13-pound pot bust

MAHWAH, N.J. – Two Nyack brothers were among four men charged with felony drug possession and distribution Friday after police said they found 13 pounds of marijuana in a house.

Detectives Michael Grassi and Eric Larsen stopped a black Chevrolet Tahoe on Lydia Lane after it veered into the opposite lane of traffic, Mahwah Police Chief James Batelli said. Their suspicions were raised when the driver, Dominic Berlingeri, 26, gave a California driver's license while driving a vehicle with a New York registration.

Berlingeri told the officers that he and his brother just moved from Nyack into a nearby house on Green Mountain Road, Batelli said.

After searching the Tahoe, detectives went to the house and, while speaking to residents through a window, said they smelled marijuana and also became concerned about the health of someone inside, Batelli said.

The officers forced their way into the house through the front door, Batelli said, then obtained a search warrant and found packaged marijuana, $22,000 and drug paraphernalia.

Arrested in

the house were Vincent Berlingeri, 28, Luis Vilela, 26, of Richmond, California, and Robert Southard III, 29, of Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania. Police also arrested the younger Berlingeri.

Police charged them with possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, intent to distribute within 1,000 feet of a school, and othr offenses. Vincent Berlingeri was also charged with destruction of evidence.

The Berlingeri brothers and Vilela have a history of drug offenses, Batelli said.

The four were remanded to the Bergen County jail on $100,000 bail and are scheduled for court appearances Tuesday.