Stoughton Man Tried to Hide Heroin in Shoes During Traffic Stop: Police

BOSTON, MA - A Stoughton man attempted to hide drugs in his shoes during a traffic stop in Boston, police said.

Josua Pagan, 34, was arraigned Wednesday in West Roxbury Municipal Court on charges of trafficking heroin and a civil infraction of having no inspection sticker, according to the Suffolk County District Attorney's office. Bail was set at $60,000 and bail for an Suffolk Superior Court case where he is charged heroin trafficking, unlawful possession of ammunition, and money laundering was revoked.

Tuesday, a state trooper pulled over Pagan's Chrysler Pacifica for having a rejection inspection sticker in the area of Canterbury Street. Prosecutors said that Pagan seemed shaky and nervous when he was asked to provide his license and registration.

While the trooper issued a citation, Pagan was observed leaning down towards his feet while looking in his driver’s side mirror at the trooper. Concerned that Pagan had attempted to conceal a weapon, the trooper asked Pagan to exit the vehicle. During the patdown, the trooper discovered a large amount of money in Pagan’s pocket. Upon ordering Pagan to remove his shoes, police found a baggie of heroin in each shoe, prosecutors said.

Prior to having the drugs weighed, Pagan allegedly made post-Miranda statements requesting troopers weigh only the smaller of the two bags of suspected heroin, stating that the larger baggie contained coffee and other substances rather than narcotics, prosecutors said. State police weighed both baggies, which had a combined weight of 30 grams.

Pagan is due back in court April 4.