A Mattapan man faces additional charges after initially being arrested for Operating Under the Influence of Drugs following traffic stop Saturday morning. Officers later found a large amount of cash and suspected cocaine in his underwear and marijuana and marijuana edibles in his car.
On Saturday, April 13, 2019 at 1:30am, Officer Jonathan Veno was stopped at red light at the intersection of Whiting Street (Route 53) and Cushing Street when he saw a 2018 Audi SUV stop at the green traffic light approximately 5-6 feet before the stop line. The Audi was stopped also over the center lines partially in the oncoming lane. It then drove through a red light. The Officer pulled behind it and signaled it to pull over using his emergency lights. The Audi continued south on Whiting Street for a short time before pulling over. Once stopped, the driver left it in drive, took his foot off the brake, and it abruptly drove forward. The Officer used the loud speaker to have the driver shift into park.
The Officer spoke with the driver and observed his eyelids appeared heavy, his eyed were bloodshot and glassy and his pupils appeared dilated. They also did not react the light from his flashlight. He also smelled the very strong odor of fresh marijuana in the car. The driver admitted to having smoked marijuana earlier in a parking lot but denied drinking. The driver agreed to participate in a roadside assessment to help determine if he should be driving.
The driver was unable to successfully complete the assessment, appeared lethargic and had difficulty focusing. He was placed under arrest for Operating Under the Influence of Drugs. He was transported to the police station for booking. Officers could see pieces of marijuana on the driver’s floor, a rolled marijuana blunt in the center console and a partially open duffel bag on the rear seat with packages of gummies containing marijuana.
At the booking area, Officers discovered a plastic bag of white powder believed to be cocaine and a large amount of bundled cash hidden in his underwear. When the Officers removed the hidden cash from his underwear, the man told the Officers they could keep that cash if they let him leave. The Officers removed a total of $9,000 in cash from his underwear. They found an additional loose $2,200 in cash in his pants pockets and another $1,428 cash in his wallet.
Detectives obtained a search warrant for the Audi and found 3 duffel bags which contained a total of 3 bags of marijuana, a digital scale, two cell phones, 200 small empty plastic baggies, numerous boxes and packages of unopened THC edibles (including chocolate, gummies and other candy).
Arrested was Adonis Armando Ruiz, age 25, of 22 Halborn Street, #2, Mattapan, MA. He was charged with:1) Possession of a Class B Substance (Cocaine) With Intent to Distribute (Subsequent Offense) 2) Possession of a Class D Substance (Marijuana) With Intent to Distribute (Subsequent Offense) 3) Operating Under the Influence of Drugs (suspected Marijuana) 4) Marked Lanes Violation 5) Failure to Obey Traffic Signal. He was released after posting $1,000 cash bail to be arraigned at Hingham District Court on Tuesday, April 16.
The cash, a total of $12,628, was seized for possible forfeiture. The bag of cocaine weighed 16 grams and the bags of marijuana weighed 15 ounces in total. A request was submitted to the Registry of Motor Vehicles for his license to be suspended as an immediate threat.