Traffic Stop Leads to Crack, Heroin: Cops

MANCHESTER, NH - A local woman was arrested yesterday afternoon on drug charges after a traffic stop near the intersection of Bridge and Elm streets.

Erica Murphy, 32, of Manchester, was arrested on Dec. 10, 2015, on two counts of possession of a controlled drug.

Editor’s note: This post was derived from information supplied by the Manchester Police Department. It does not indicate a conviction. Click this link to find out how to get a name removed from a New Hampshire Patch police report.

Police, according to a report, stopped a Ford Focus for defective equipment at the intersection at just after 5:30 p.m. One of the officers alleged that the driver, later identified as Murphy, was reaching down toward the floor as he approached the vehicle.

“He began speaking with Murphy and noticed a clear plastic bag protruding from under her leg,” according to Lt. Brian O’Keefe of the Manchester Police Department. “She lifted her leg and allowed the officer to view the object under her leg. The small piece of cellophane was empty, but is a common way to transport illegal drugs.”

Murphy reportedly allowed police to search the vehicle and they allegedly discovered several small rocks of crack cocaine, empty plastic bags, a digital scale, and a glass cylindrical object on the floor beneath the driver’s seat. A small amount of heroin was also allegedly found in her purse.

Murphy was arraigned this morning. The passenger was not charged, according to police.