Cops Bust Man For Double Parking & Find Hidden Stash Of Drugs In His Car

A man who was double parked got arrested for a lot more than a traffic violation when cops found a slew of drugs, cash, and a gun hidden in his car.

On Wednesday, March 11 at about 6:45pm, plainclothes police in an unmarked car reportedly spotted Steven Lopez, a 23-year-old man from Staten Island, running toward his Honda Odyssey, which was double parked near 71st Street and 19th Avenue. The officers went to issue a summons for the double parking, when the driver took off. The cops stopped the car, and as they approached, they got a whiff of marijuana — then, when they looked inside, the NYPD says the cops saw a blunt still burning in the center console.

After placing Lopez under arrest, cops report they found three bags of crack in his pocket. Then, when they searched the car, police say they noticed a part of the center console that kept vibrating, apparently, even while the car wasn’t running, and saw plastic bags behind a piece of plastic there. After reportedly applying for a search warrant, which was granted, cops say they removed the piece of plastic and found a hollowed-out area where two cell phones, nearly $1000 in cash, some rounds of ammunition, a loaded .45 caliber Llama semi-automatic handgun, and the drugs: a bag of pot, 131 ziplock bags of crack, and 410 glassine envelopes heroin.

Lopez has been charged with criminal possession of a weapon, criminal possession of a controlled substance with intent to sell, and criminal possession of marijuana.