Cops Keep Busy Arresting Suspected Drug Traffickers during Traffic Stops
BERKELEY — Traffic stops yield a steady flow of drug-related arrests. This is particularly true for high-crime cities like Berkeley, where officers regularly encounter suspected drug traffickers.
On November 10th for example, Berkeley police arrested three suspects on drug charges during routine traffic stops. As it happens, drivers were pulled over for vehicle code violations, and officers found lots of illicit drugs.
Like any municipality, drug traffickers in Berkeley are most susceptible to arrests while driving. This is simply because the most common reason for contact with police anywhere is being a driver in a traffic stop. That’s according to the federal Bureau of Justice Statistics.
Passengers have an equal opportunity for trouble with the law. Trey D. Bailey, 26 of Oakland, was pulled over near Market and Adeline streets at 9:20 p.m. Bailey and his passenger, Jonika L. Reed, 27 of Berkeley, both got arrested for drugs.
Inside Bailey’s car, officers found methamphetamine, heroin and cannabis, along with an unspecified amount of money.
Bailey and Reed each face charges for possession and transportation of controlled substances. Although Reed remains behind bars at Santa Rita Jail in lieu of $100,000 bond, Bailey is no longer in custody.
In another case, officers conducted a traffic stop near Haskell and Mabel streets. Inside this vehicle, officers found powder cocaine, rock cocaine, and a large quantity of cannabis.
Oakland resident Lecester Lecester Jr., 56 (alias Lecester King Jr.) had more than $1,000 in his pockets when he was arrested. Similarly, Lecester faces charges for possession of a controlled substance for sale, and possession of cocaine base for sale. However, he is no longer in custody.
