An unlicensed driver from Mexico was charged with trafficking in cocaine Wednesday evening after police found a large amount of the drug in his vehicle during a traffic stop.
A Leesburg police officer conducted a random plate inquiry on a vehicle registered to two Hispanic males without Florida licenses. The officer conducted a traffic stop near the intersection of North 14th Street and Griffin Road, according to the arrest report.
The offer spoke with the driver, 34-year-old Constantino Suarez Celaya, who said he did not speak English. Celaya was unable to provide a driver’s license and instead gave the officer a Mexican license. The officer used Google Translate on his phone to ask how many years he has been in the United States, and Celaya replied about eight years. A computer check showed Celaya does not have a Florida license, but he did have an active warrant in Sumter County for driving without a license, the report said.
Celaya was placed under arrest and the officer searched his vehicle, finding a prescription medication bottle in a lunch container. The label on the bottle included the name, “Cynthia,” but was otherwise unreadable, according to the report.
The bottle contained 30.2 grams of a fine white powder that later testified positive for cocaine. Possession of more than 28 grams of cocaine is considered trafficking and a first-degree felony, the report said.
Celaya was taken to the Lake County Jail, where bond was set at $25,500.