NORTHAMPTON — A Florence man who police say was in possession of more than $1,000 in cash and a backpack containing baggies of crack and powder cocaine faces drug charges following his arrest last week outside Meadowbrook Apartments.
Angel J. Pereira, 25, of 491 Bridge Road, pleaded not guilty Friday in Northampton District Court to possession with intent to distribute heroin, possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine, possession with intent to distribute cocaine and possession of oxycodone.
Police stopped Pereira in the area of Meadowbrook Apartments just after midnight Friday while investigating a report of stolen firearms. Pereira encountered the officers and tried to walk away in the opposite direction, a police report shows. When police questioned Pereira, he told officers he was dropping off his rent check, according to the report.
Skeptical of this explanation, officers pat-frisked Pereira’s person and backpack for weapons, which he reportedly told them he didn’t have. Officers allegedly found about $1,540 in cash on Pereira’s person and a small baggie of marijuana. When the officer felt what he thought could be a weapon while patting the backpack, he opened it to retrieve a folding knife in the shape of a firearm, according to the report.
While retrieving the weapon, the officer also spotted “a large amount of unused cellophane bags,” and several baggies of both crack cocaine and powder cocaine, police said.
Altogether, according to the report, Pereira was in possession of three bags of crack cocaine (totaling 10.9 grams), two bags of powder cocaine (4.7 grams), 47 bags of heroin and four oxycodone tablets.
Pereira is due back in court March 10.
Michael Majchrowicz can be reached at mmajchrowicz@gazettenet.com.