Connecticut Man Arrested on Felony Drug Charge in Hawthorne
A 42-year-old Waterbury, Conn. man was arrested Wednesday after Westchester County police seized more than two kilos of fentanyl during a traffic stop in Mount Pleasant.
The suspect, Orlando Garcia, was charged with the felony of first-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance following the stop on the Saw Mill River Parkway. He was also charged with third-degree aggravated unlicensed operation of a vehicle, a misdemeanor.
Shortly after 5 p.m. on July 22, Garcia was stopped for traffic violations as he drove southbound on the parkway near county police headquarters in Hawthorne. Garcia was taken into custody when a computer check revealed that his license was suspended and that he had an outstanding warrant for failing to appear in court to answer a charge of Driving While Ability Impaired by Drugs, a misdemeanor.
During the subsequent investigation, which included the use of the narcotics detection canine Philly, officers located a sealed cardboard box in the vehicle containing 4.3 pounds of a substance believed to be fentanyl.
Garcia was arraigned in Mount Pleasant Town Court and remanded to the Westchester County Jail in Valhalla.
Martin has more than 30 years experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, including a frequent focus on zoning and planning issues. He has been editor-in-chief of The Examiner since its inception in 2007. Read more from Martin’s editor-author bio here. Read Martin’s archived work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/martin-wilbur2007/