K-9 Unit Discovers In-Transit Pot Package

At a time when some residents are questioning the value of the village’s , one unit is making its accomplishments hard to ignore.

K-9 Cezar made a surprise discovery of more than 10 pounds of pot Tuesday during a training session at a shipping warehouse in Newburgh. The stash was not part of the drugs officials planted for the exercise.

Detective Patrick Frezza was running his along the conveyor belt when Cezar made a hit on a package headed for the delivery truck. 

“[We] took it off the line and the warehouse manager found 10.3 pounds of marijuana,” Frezza said. 

The address on the package, which came from California, was a Buchanan residence. The Orange County Sheriff’s Office took control of the drugs.

Frezza was modest but pleased with Cezar’s good work, explaining that warehouse finds are not uncommon. The team was one of six participating units at the training.

“I really am very proud of Cezar and Pat [Frezza] and the good things that they’re doing for this department,” Brewster Police Chief John DelGardo said.

Those good things include their at a regional drug certification last month. The victory qualified the team for the national competition, which they will not attend.

Brewster’s Board of Trustees will hold the second portion of a public hearing on next year’s budget at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday in the . Last week a handful of residents questioned salary increases for roughly a dozen employees, as well as funding for the police department and a new public works department truck. The board is scheduled to adopt a budget April 20.