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Samuel Castillo, of Lynn, was arrested on Friday, April 7 for possessing and trafficking cocaine, according to the Melrose Police Department.
An altercation was reported between two individuals on Lebanon Street near the Melrose Wakefield Hospital around 9:47 a.m. One of the people involved was driving a gray Ford Escape.
A vehicle matching that description was seen by police, who conducted a traffic stop. While speaking with the driver, who was later identified as 26-year-old Castillo, police saw a plastic bag containing a white powdery substance.
Police searched the vehicle with help from a Melrose K-9 unit. K-9 Nero picked up a scent in the driver's side door of the vehicle and his nose was on the money, revealing six more bags of a white powder and a rock-like substance.
More baggies were found inside the door but could not be removed until the vehicle was taken to the police station for processing. There, an additional 12 baggies of powdery substances and rock-like substances were found in the door.
The search revealed 19 baggies in all, each containing cocaine. In total, the baggies weighed 27.65 grams.
Castilo was arrested at the scene and charged with the following:
- Possession with intent to distribute a class B substance
- Trafficking cocaine 18 grams or more but less than 36 grams
He was arraigned at Malden District Court on Friday, April 7, and held on $540 bail.
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