A routine traffic stop in the Poconos turned into a drug bust after police pulled over a car for driving too close to another. Cops ended up arresting two men for trafficking heroin. They said it's nothing new.
Bags of heroin, hypodermic needles and drug paraphernalia covered at table at the Pocono Mountain Regional Police station.
Officers said they uncovered the materials Monday night during a routine traffic stop in Mount Pocono.
Cody Zipp, 23, of Long Pond and Richard Goldstein, 21, of Swiftwater were initially pulled for driving too close to the vehicle in front of them. When cops searched their car, they found the stash of drugs.
"Ultimately it was about 78 bags of heroin located various places on their person, in their vehicle," said Cpl. Lucas Bray.
Bray, a narcotics investigator for Pocono Mountain Regional Police, said traffic stops turned drug busts are nothing new for area law enforcement. According to Bray, officers daily stop vehicles for routine violations, such as tinted windows or driving to closely to another car, and end up making drug-related arrests.
"If we can use a traffic stop to help look a little further into our drug trafficking enforcement, we do," said Cpl. Bray.
One prime example was last May, when Pocono Mountain Regional Police pulled over Timothy McErlean and Andrzej Mural, both of New York, for failing to stop at an intersection in Coolbaugh Township. An inspection of their car uncovered 16 bags of heroin and 12 bags of marijuana. Police credit many of these drug related bust to their biggest drug fighter - a K-9.
"He's trained in marijuana, ecstacy, heroin, cocaine, you name all of the drugs," said Cpl. Matt Nero about his partner Kane, the department's K-9 officer. The German Sheperd is deployed when drugs are suspected at traffic stops.
"It could take a normal officer an hour to a half hour to finds the drugs. Sometimes they don't even find it," said Cpl. Nero. "He can locate them in minutes."
Bags of heroin, hypodermic needles and drug paraphernalia covered at table at the Pocono Mountain Regional Police station.
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Cody Zipp, 23, of Long Pond and Richard Goldstein, 21, of Swiftwater were initially pulled for driving too close to the vehicle in front of them. When cops searched their car, they found the stash of drugs.
"Ultimately it was about 78 bags of heroin located various places on their person, in their vehicle," said Cpl. Lucas Bray.
Bray, a narcotics investigator for Pocono Mountain Regional Police, said traffic stops turned drug busts are nothing new for area law enforcement. According to Bray, officers daily stop vehicles for routine violations, such as tinted windows or driving to closely to another car, and end up making drug-related arrests.
"If we can use a traffic stop to help look a little further into our drug trafficking enforcement, we do," said Cpl. Bray.
One prime example was last May, when Pocono Mountain Regional Police pulled over Timothy McErlean and Andrzej Mural, both of New York, for failing to stop at an intersection in Coolbaugh Township. An inspection of their car uncovered 16 bags of heroin and 12 bags of marijuana. Police credit many of these drug related bust to their biggest drug fighter - a K-9.
"He's trained in marijuana, ecstacy, heroin, cocaine, you name all of the drugs," said Cpl. Matt Nero about his partner Kane, the department's K-9 officer. The German Sheperd is deployed when drugs are suspected at traffic stops.
"It could take a normal officer an hour to a half hour to finds the drugs. Sometimes they don't even find it," said Cpl. Nero. "He can locate them in minutes."
