Mugshot of Dwayne Friday. Photo Credit: THE VIRGIN ISLANDS POLICE DEPARTMENT.
ST. CROIX — Police have arrested a man following a traffic stop after they discovered a gun, ammunition, marijuana and cocaine inside the vehicle.
According to court documents, during a traffic enforcement operation on Wednesday, police spotted a white Acura MDX driving eastbound on Morning Star Road, near the Salt River entrance. The front windshield of the vehicle was tinted beyond the acceptable limit, and thus officers conducted a traffic stop.
After approaching the vehicle, police say they spotted a transparent container with what appeared to be marijuana, sitting out in plain view. They asked the driver, Dwayne Friday, if he that was all that he had in his possession, and he reportedly handed over a transparent plastic bag containing plant material similar to what was in the container. One of the officers reportedly alerted his colleagues that there was even more suspected marijuana visible from his vantage point, and Friday duly produced another container that seemed to have marijuana and tobacco packaged for individual sale.
Upon further inspection of the vehicle, police say they observed what looked like a weapon in the back seat, but Friday told them it was a pellet gun. Officers removed the apparent long gun from underneath the backpack where it was concealed, and ordered Friday out of the vehicle, patting him down for safety. It was later confirmed that he does not have a license to possess a firearm in the territory. One officer noted that Friday was sweating and shaking as police began searching the vehicle.
Police quickly located a black and white bookbag full of what appeared to be marijuana, and a black duffel bag with similar contents. Officers moved to handcuff Friday, at which point he reportedly began pleading for lenience, mentioning that he had children to take care of.
By the time the vehicle search was completed and a forensic technician had processed the scene, additional numerous vials of suspected marijuana had been recovered, along with thousands of dollars in currency in the center console and a brown leather bag on the floor at the front passenger side of the MDX. Also in the brown bag were a total of 37 live rounds of .25 caliber ammunition. Additionally, police recovered a small black pouch attached to the keys in the ignition, which contained 10 bags of a white powdery substance. The plant material returned positive results for marijuana when tested on the scene, and the white substance had a positive result for crack cocaine.
Police say the cocaine amounted to 20 grams in total, while the quantity of marijuana recovered could not be immediately determined “due to the limitation of the V.I. Police Department's evidence scale.” Altogether, officers estimate that there were “several large bags equivalent to the size of large cereal boxes” worth of the drug.
Friday was arrested and charged with possession of cocaine with intent to distribute, possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, and possession of ammunition. Unable to pay the initial bail, set at $15,000, he was remanded into custody to await his advice of rights hearing.
As of press time, there are no records to indicate whether that hearing has been held.
Advertisements
