While marijuana was recently made legal cocaine still is not.
On Friday, a Manhattan man was indicted for on multiple criminal possession of a controlled substance charges after police found 15 pounds of cocaine, with a street value of over $2 million dollars in his car during a traffic stop in the Bronx.
“The defendant was allegedly speeding and tried to flee from police when they attempted to conduct a traffic stop,” said District Attorney Darcel Clark. “When police arrested the defendant, they allegedly found six bricks of cocaine weighing a total of15 pounds in his car. The police stopped a large amount of illegal drugs—whose profits fuel violence and other crimes—from being sold on our streets.”
According to the investigation, at approximately 12:27 a.m. on Feb. 7, on the corner of Mount Eden Parkway and Selwyn Avenue, police officers in a marked car saw the defendant, Melvin Read-Svazo, 33, of 1980 Park Avenue, Manhattan, in a white BMW X6 with temporary New Jersey license plates speeding .Police Officers activated their lights and Read-Svazo ignored them and continued to speed,driving through a red light.
Read–Svazo, who had an open warrant, allegedly got out of the car and fled on foot. Police caught up to him and he was arrested on the corner of Walton Avenue and East 175th Street. When officers checked the defendant’s vehicle,they allegedly found two bags in the rear passenger floor, which contained 5 pounds of cocaine.
He was arraigned Thursday for first and second–degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, two counts of third–degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, fourth, fifth and seventh–degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, third–degree unlawful fleeing of a police officer in a motor vehicle, second–degree reckless endangerment and reckless driving. Bail was set at $75, 000 cash and he is due back in court July 9.
