RI State Police Seize $60K Cocaine from Lawrence, Mass., Driver

WEST GREENWICH, RI — State police seized a backpack stuffed with two kilograms of cocaine, worth $60,000, on Saturday when they towed a car after a traffic stop.

Francisco Fernandez, 44, of Lawrence, Mass.,was stopped on Route 3 just before 11 a.m. on Saturday 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.

He 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.

He is being held at the Adult Correctional Institutions, pending arrangement in District Court on Monday.

Image via Shutterstock