State Police Seize Two Kilos of Cocaine After Traffic Stop

WEST GREENWICH, RI – A Massachusetts man was arrested on felony drug charges Saturday (Feb. 11, 2017) after Rhode Island State Police stopped his car on Route 3 for a motor vehicle violation and discovered two kilograms of cocaine worth an estimated $60,000 in a backpack on the front seat.

Francisco Fernandez, 44, of 665 Essex St., Lawrence, was stopped just before 11 a.m. for a motor vehicle violation, according to state police Capt. John Allen. The trooper noted that Fernandez did not have a valid driver’s license, so he was issued a citation and the vehicle was towed.

During an inventory search of the vehicle, the trooper discovered two brick-like packages of a substance that proved to be cocaine, Allen said. The street value of the drug is approximately $60,000.

Fernandez was arrested and taken to the Hope Valley barracks, where troopers discovered that he had allegedly tried to alter his fingerprints to thwart detection of his identity. However, state police were able to identify him.

Fernandez was charged with possession with intent to deliver cocaine; possession of more than a kilo of cocaine; and identity fraud, all felonies, Allen said. He also was charged with giving false documents to police, a misdemeanor, and driving without a license, a motor vehicle violation.

Fernandez was ordered held at the Adult Correctional Institutions, pending arrangement in District Court on Monday.