The arrests stemmed from an incident on Wednesday, May 1 just before 10 p.m., when a vehicle was stopped by police in New Rochelle after failing to use a signal while turning from Lincoln Avenue to Memorial Highway, according to New Rochelle Police Captain J. Collins Coyne.
During the traffic stop, detectives saw what appeared to be heroin inside a Ziploc bag in the car's center console cupholder. A narcotics K9 soon arrived and confirmed that the bag did contain heroin, Coyne said.
The two occupants, identified as Bronx resident Ronny Mota, age 34, and New York City resident Biang Velasquez, age 38, were then arrested.
According to Coyne, when police conducted another search of their vehicle, they found a hidden compartment, known as a "trap," which contained the following:
- A .32 caliber Keltec handgun;
- 85 grams of cocaine;
- 245 oxycodone pills;
- 110 ecstasy pills.
Additionally, police also found $4,261 in small bills in the duo's possession, Coyne said.
After their arrests, the duo was charged with:
- Second-degree criminal possession of a weapon;
- Two counts of second-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance;
- Third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance;
- Fourth-degree criminal possession of stolen property;
- Seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance.
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