Disclaimer: All persons are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
ARABI, La. (WGNO) — Two New Orleans men were arrested following a traffic stop and drug bust in the Arabi area on Thursday, Oct. 19.
Officials with the St. Bernard Parish Sheriff’s Office said agents with the Special Investigations Narcotics Division were patrolling the area when they noticed a Chevrolet Suburban with a burned-out tail light drive near West Judge Perez Drive.
Agents then conducted a traffic stop when the driver, identified by SBSO as 43-year-old Alton Mark, allegedly left the car and would not cooperate with the agents.
SBSO officials said Mark was taken into custody following a struggle. They said the passenger, identified as 55-year-old Victor Derouselle, was also taken into custody.
During the stop, agents said they noticed the smell of marijuana coming from the car. Agents then searched the car and reportedly recovered several hand-rolled cigars containing marijuana, several clear plastic bags and a digital scale.
According to the SBSO, Mark was not cooperating with deputies at the jail, which led them to believe “he was hiding illegal narcotics in a body cavity.”
He was then transported to the Plaquemines Parish Prison for a full body scan. SBSO officials said the scanner detected an object.
They said a warrant was obtained to remove the object at a hospital.
SBSO officials said following an investigation, two clear plastic bags containing approximately 34 grams of cocaine and fentanyl, one clear plastic bag containing approximately 18 grams of heroin and fentanyl, and one clear plastic bag containing approximately two grams of crack cocaine and fentanyl were recovered from Mark.
Mark faces the following charges:
- Possession with the intent to distribute heroin
- Possession with the intent to distribute fentanyl
- Possession with the intent to distribute cocaine
- Possession with the intent to distribute crack cocaine
- Possession of marijuana
- Possession of drug paraphernalia
- Tail light required
- Suspended driver’s license
- Resisting an officer
- Obstruction of justice evidence tampering
- Introducing contraband into a correctional facility
Derouselle faces a charge of possession of drug paraphernalia.
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