UTICA, NY – A routine traffic stop near downtown Utica turned into a drug bust Wednesday night when a 46-year-old man was caught driving with a suspended license — and found carrying suspected cocaine in his pocket.
Officers with the Crime Prevention Unit pulled over the vehicle around 7:30 p.m. near the intersection of Court Street and Varick Street due to violations of New York State Vehicle and Traffic Law. After approaching the car, police learned that the driver, identified as David Burr of Utica, was operating the vehicle despite having a suspended license.
As Burr was taken into custody, a search revealed a baggie of suspected cocaine on his person, police said. The exact quantity of narcotics was not disclosed, but authorities noted it was significant enough to warrant a call to the department’s Special Investigations Unit.
An investigator returned to duty to process the charges, and Burr was officially booked at the Utica Police Department. Specific charges related to drug possession are expected to be formally released pending lab results and further investigation.
This arrest adds to a growing list of narcotics-related incidents in the area that have led to increased street-level enforcement across Utica.