PORT ST. LUCIE — Port St. Lucie police seized approximately 9 pounds of marijuana and $1,450 in cash during a traffic stop Oct. 28, according to the police department.
Officers with the Neighborhood Policing Bureau located a vehicle connected to a reported domestic disturbance investigation and stopped it near Southwest Rice Avenue and Southwest Chartwell Street, police said.
During the stop, officers observed suspected marijuana inside the vehicle and requested assistance from the department's Special Investigations Unit.
Detectives found multiple vacuum-sealed and individually packaged bags of marijuana, along with additional suspected marijuana scattered across the seats and floorboards. Investigators determined the marijuana had been packaged for distribution, according to police.
The driver, Samuel Torres, 27, of Port St. Lucie, was arrested and charged with possession of a controlled substance with intent to sell, manufacture or deliver marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia for retail sale.
Police also seized the vehicle, a 2019 Kia Optima, under the Florida Contraband Forfeiture Act.