Pair Left to Rot in Jail After NYPD Mistakens Candy for Crack
By ERIN CALABRESE and MURRAY WEISS Two Bronx men were locked up and left to rot in a filthy jail cell for nearly a week after a pair of bumbling cops mistook their candy for a bag of crack. The "drugs" were finally tested five days later and determined to be popular Coco (coconut) Candy. The charges were dropped -- but there were no apologies from the NYPD. "Sweet happens," a police source glibly said of the boondoggle. The NYPD had no official comment. The trouble began the night of Jan. 15, as José Pena, a 48-year-old plumber, and his longtime pal and colleague Cesar Rodriguez, 33, were headed to a party, and decided to stop at a bodega on 181st Street and the Grand Concourse. Robert Kalfus José Pena (left) and Cesar Rodriguez When they came out, cops were waiting and asked to search their Ford minivan. "I said 'Go search.' I even opened the door," Rodriguez told The Post. ...