Peabody Man Charged In Essex Cocaine Bust: Police

PEABODY, MA — A Peabody man was charged with cocaine trafficking after Essex police said he was found with 164 grams of suspected crack cocaine, a knife and both a coronavirus vaccination card and a plane ticket that did not include his name during a traffic stop Monday afternoon.

Essex Police Chief Paul Francis said Pedro Ortiz, 47, of Peabody, was also charged with wearing a disguise to obstruct justice, refusing to identify himself to police as a vehicle driver, speeding, marked lane violations and operating a subsequent offense of operating a vehicle without a license.

Essex police said Ipswich police told them early Monday afternoon of a vehicle in the area known to be driven by a person with a suspended license. Essex police said they located a speeding Jeep Patriot and attempted a traffic stop after it crossed the center lane.

Police accuse Ortiz of providing them with conflicting information about the owner of the Jeep, his address and his identity.

Police said the center console was open and multiple bags of what appeared to be cocaine were visible as well as drug paraphernalia typical used to disguise cocaine.

Police searched the Jeep and said they found the coronavirus vaccine card, flight ticket to the Dominican Republic for next month, two cell phones, a pocket knife and a large amount of suspected crack cocaine that police weighed at 164 grams.

Police said the value of the cocaine is approximately $8,000.

Ortiz was held without bail pending his arraignment in Gloucester District Court on Tuesday.

Gloucester and Ipswich assisted in the investigation.

Ipswich and Gloucester Police supported the investigation as well.

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(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)