NORTHAMPTON — A Florence man faces weapons and drug charges after police say they seized cocaine and a handgun from a car he was driving Saturday evening.
Angel Alvarado-Hernandez, 22, of 261 Florence Road, was arrested after he was pulled over by Officer Brandon Lagoy at 11:38 p.m. on New Year’s Eve, Detective Michael Briggs said.
Briggs said a man was driving a tan 1995 Toyota Corolla when Lagoy spotted him cross the double yellow lines. The car also allegedly had a license plate light out.
Briggs said the car smelled of marijuana and Alvarado-Hernandez was acting nervous when pulled over on Elm Street. The Corolla was also associated with another individual who has had run-ins with police in the past, Briggs said.
According to police, when asked if there was anything in the car Alvarado-Hernandez responded: “I don’t have any guns or drugs and if they are in this car they aren’t mine.”
After Alvarado-Hernandez was asked to step out of the car, police found 19 baggies of cocaine weighing 5.65 grams on him and a loaded .38 caliber handgun with the serial number scratched off under the driver’s seat, Briggs said.
He faces several charges, including class B drug possession with intent to distribute, possession of a firearm with a defaced serial number and leaving an unsecured firearm in a vehicle.
He was also charged for crossing the double yellow lines and for the light being out on the license plate.
Contact Jack Suntrup at jsuntrup@gazettenet.com.