UNION TOWNSHIP — State Police seized 50 pounds of marijuana and nearly $40,000 from suspicious cars in a middle school parking lot late Sunday night, authorities said.

At 8:30 p.m., Detective Bruce Sanderson noticed a silver sedan with Maryland license plates pull into the empty school lot and back into a parking space, State Police said.

He briefly observed the car from a discreet location, then saw a silver Toyota van with Pennsylvania license plates pull into the lot and parked alongside the other vehicle, police said.

Next, one man exited from each car, they opened their trunks and they exchanged several packages, police said.

Sanderson and assisting troopers "engaged the men" in the parking lot, police said in an announcement of the incident. A canine from the Hunterdon County Prosecutor’s Office responded to the scene and positively alerted on both cars, police said.

Troopers seized 50 pounds of Marijuana from the Toyota van and more than $39,000 from the Maryland sedan, police said.

Tyrone Durrant, 34, and Kadian McFarlane, 33, both of of Reading, Pennsylvania, Chester Fyffe, 47, of Islip, New York and Sasha Fyffe, 25, of Brooklyn were each charged with possession with intent to distribute, possession with intent to distribute in a school zone, and money laundering, police said.

Chester Fyffe and Tyrone Durrant were lodged at Hunterdon County Jail in lieu of $150,000 bail with no 10 percent option. Kadian McFarlane was lodged at Hunterdon County Jail in lieu of $150,000 with a 10 percent option, and Sasha Fyffe was released pending court.

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