The men were arrested at a Monmouth County storage facility after a stolen tractor-trailer was found in Jersey City
Samir Helou, left, and Luis Rivera. Two men were arrested after being caught with more than $70,000 in stolen spices at a northern Monmouth County storage facility, State Police said.
Luis Rivera, 50, of Jersey City and Samir Helou, 56, of Brooklyn, N.Y. were charged with possession of stolen property, according to a news release. Helou was also charged with possession of fireworks.
State Police said the two men had access to a storage unit in the Cliffwood section of Aberdeen containing 75,466 units of Shan brand spices.
Police found the pair at the storage facility on Feb. 17, a day after a 2007 Freightliner truck was reported stolen in Linden and a trailer was stolen in Edison, State Police said. Authorities recovered the tractor-trailer the next day in Jersey City.
Bail for Helou was set at $75,000. Rivera was held on $50,000 bail.
It's not known what the men planned to do with the spices, State Police said.
Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JeffSGoldman. Find NJ.com on Facebook.