Mike Deak

@MikeDeakMyCJ

Possession of more than five ounces is a first-degree crime.

SOMERVILLE – The Somerset County prosecutor wants to lock up a man for the rest of his life for having a kilo of cocaine — a request that a state drug law reformer called "barbaric and fiscally insane."

Roger Covil, 49, of Franklin will be sentenced July 11 before Superior Court Judge Robert Reed. A Somerset County jury on Wednesday returned the guilty verdict.

Somerset County Assistant Prosecutor Frank Kolodzieski will be filing a motion for Reed to consider sentencing Covil to life imprisonment with 25 years of parole ineligibility because of Covil's previous record, Somerset County Prosecutor Geoffrey Soriano said.

Roseanne Scotti, the New Jersey state director of the Drug Policy Alliance, was "speechless" when she heard about the request for a life sentence.

Besides pointing out that it costs state taxpayers $50,000 a year "to warehouse" prisoners in state institiutions, Scotti said people are beginning to agree that harsh sentences have not proven to be a deterrent or have dented the supply of drugs.

Covil was sentenced in 1990 to three years in state prison after he pleaded guilty to three drug charges in Middlesex County.

A conviction of first-degree possession of cocaine with intent to distribute usually carries a 10- to 20-year sentence with parole ineligibility between a third and a half of the sentence, Soriano said.

Under state law, possession of more than five ounces of cocaine is a first-degree crime.

Vera Bergelson, a professor at the Rutgers University School of Law in Newark, said the request for a life sentence seems "excessive" but is allowed by a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that allows a life sentence to be imposed.

The investigation began in June 2010 when authorities learned that the UPS Bridgewater facility had a package containing a kilogram of cocaine scheduled for delivery to Covil's Franklin home, according to papers filed in Superior Court.

After a Hillsborough police K-9 unit responded and gave a positive indication of drugs in the package, detectives set up surveillance at the home on Coventry Lane in the Somerset section of Franklin, the court papers said.

After the package was delivered, detectives saw Covil pick up the package, go back inside the residence, then try to leave the area with the package, authorities said.

Officers then approached Covil, who threw the package to the ground and tried to run away but was arrested after a short foot chase.

Inside Covil's house, detectives found $70,863 in cash, Soriano said. Detectives also found two safes that contained 750 grams of cocaine, a scale, $8,610 in cash and a semi-automatic handgun.

Also arrested in connection with the incident was Chris Hardley, 47, of Franklin, who lived with Covil. Hardley, who pleaded guilty to cocaine and weapons charges in July 2013, is now serving 18 years at Northern State Prison.

The Prosecutor's Office had asked the judge to sentence Hardley to a 25-year sentence. Hardley will not be eligible for parole until Nov. 1, 2019.

Staff Writer Mike Deak: 908-243-6607; mdeak@mycentraljersey.com