MIDDLETOWN, CT — A man was found to be in the possession of fentanyl-laced marijuana during a traffic stop early Saturday morning on Route 9 in Middletown, according to police.
An officer tried to stop a 2021 Ford Escape with a Massachusetts registration around 2:15 a.m. after the driver failed to stop for a traffic light on Hartford Avenue and Route 9, according to police. The driver didn’t initially pull over for the officers but stopped on Route 9 North after a brief pursuit, police said.
The officer saw two large plastic bags containing what appeared to be marijuana as he approached the vehicle, according to police.
Find out what’s happening in Middletownwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
The driver, later identified as 32-year-old Christopher Little, was “argumentative and refused to provide his license, registration, and proof of insurance,” according to police. Little also refused to get out of the vehicle, but did so after officers opened the driver’s side door, police said.
“Based on the quantity of suspected marijuana in the vehicle, Little was handcuffed and searched for additional contraband,” police wrote in a news release.
Find out what’s happening in Middletownwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Officers found five unmarked pills in a plastic bag that they believed to be counterfeit ecstasy and a Hertz Rental agreement that listed Little as the authorized driver of the Ford, according to police.
Police said Little was found to have a suspended driver’s license and an active re-arrest warrant from a case in Hartford. He was arrested and taken to the Middletown Police Department.
“Little remained uncooperative during booking but told officers the suspected marijuana and ecstasy were actually Cannabidiol (CBD),” police wrote in the news release. “The arresting officer field tested the green leafy substance and obtained a negative reaction for the presence of THC. He then tested the green leafy substance using a NARK 5 Testing kit and obtained a POSITIVE reaction for the presence of fentanyl. Officers also field tested the suspected ecstasy using a NARK 5 Testing kit and obtained a POSITIVE reaction for the presence of fentanyl. It is common for individuals who sell narcotics to lace substances with fentanyl to falsely market his/her product and increase profit margin.”
The two bags of the green leafy substance laced with fentanyl was worth about $22,640, according to police. The five pills laced with fentanyl had an estimated street value of $100 if sold per pill, police said.
Little was also found to be in possession of $926 in cash, according to police.
Police said the quantity of drugs was “far greater than personal use and indicative of sales.”
Little was charged with two counts each of possession of narcotics with the intent to sell and possession of a controlled substance and one count each of failure to obey traffic control signal, disobeying signal of an officer, engaging police in a pursuit, operating a motor vehicle with suspended license, and interfering with an officer.
Little was released after posting a $100,000 bond with a court date of Feb. 24, according to police.
To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.