Four Arrested After Cocaine Tossed From Thruway Car
New York State Police arrested four people after a passenger threw a bag of suspected cocaine from a vehicle during a traffic stop in Newburgh.
Updated on Nov. 5, 2026 in Drug Crime
Live Poll
Do you think drug crime in your area is getting better or worse?
Troopers stopped a 2016 Hyundai in the town of Newburgh at the Plattekill Service Area on October 26 after seeing it break traffic laws. A passenger threw a plastic bag from the car before the stop was completed, and the bag contained about 544 grams of a substance that field-tested positive for cocaine.
Why it matters
The arrests illustrate how traffic enforcement on major state highways can lead to drug seizures and charges against multiple occupants of a single vehicle. The case moves to the courts, where the charges will determine how the four defendants are handled.
Four occupants face first-degree and third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance charges, and Phillip Earl Preyear also faces a felony tampering-with-evidence charge. The substance is described only as field-testing positive for cocaine, and laboratory confirmation has not been reported.
The players
New York State Police
The state's primary highway law enforcement agency, which conducted the traffic stop and seizure on the Thruway.
Junaid A. Khan
The 28-year-old driver of the stopped vehicle, identified as being from Peru.
The details
Driver Junaid A. Khan, 28, of Peru, and passengers Phillip Earl Preyear, 29, of Jersey City, New Jersey, Katelynn Goheens, 36, of Plattsburgh, and Kassie E. King, 32, of Plattsburgh, were arrested. All four were arraigned in Newburgh Town Court and sent to the Orange County Jail.
Timeline
October 26, 2026: Troopers stop the Hyundai and make the arrests in Newburgh.
November 10, 2026: All four suspects are due back in court.
Legal Context
The charges fall under New York's tiered controlled-substance possession statutes, with the third-degree intent-to-sell count reflecting the quantity seized in a single bag. Charges of this kind are routinely filed when highway stops uncover drugs shared among multiple occupants of a vehicle.
Drivers on the New York State Thruway may see increased trooper traffic enforcement near service areas in the Newburgh area. The case shows that drugs discarded from a vehicle can lead to charges against everyone inside it.
The takeaway
Traffic stops can expose every occupant of a vehicle to drug charges, not just the person who handled the contraband. Anyone facing such a stop should understand that possession charges can apply to passengers as well as drivers.
What happens next
All four suspects are due back in Newburgh Town Court on November 10, 2026.
Further reading
Follow more coverage in Drug Crime for context on how these cases are prosecuted across New York.
Live Poll
Do you think drug crime in your area is getting better or worse?
