Jailed in Lieu of $50,000 Bail

East Hampton Town police in conjunction with the East End Drug Task Force arrested a Montauk man on Sept. 10 on charges of dealing cocaine during the summer of 2013.

Benjamin Carrero-Candelaria, 22, a native of Puerto Rico who spent this summer as well working in Montauk, was charged with four felonies involving sales of the narcotic over a five-week period. East Hampton Town Justice Steven Tekulsky set bail of $50,000 at his arraignment last Thursday, which was not posted. Mr. Carrero-Candelaria was taken to county jail in Riverside, where he remains.

District Attorney Thomas Spota’s office, acting quickly, obtained a grand jury indictment on Monday. Selling narcotics is a Class B felony, and the defendant faces mandatory prison time if convicted. He could be sentenced to from 1 to 25 years in state prison on each charge.

A friend of his spoke about him Tuesday night, asking that his name not be used because of the seriousness of the charges. He said that Mr. Carrero-Candelaria was working two jobs in Montauk this past summer. If he was indeed dealing drugs, he wasn’t a very good dealer, the friend contended. “Drug dealers have money. He was always broke.” Ever since the arrest, he said, Mr. Carrero-Candelaria’s mother has been calling from Puerto Rico, asking about her son.

Cocaine arrests based on possession were routine in Montauk this past summer, particularly on weekends. Capt. Chris Anderson of the town police declined this week to comment on the case in question.