Police stopped a car in Vernon on Tuesday evening because of a headlight violation and said they found more than 1,400 bags of heroin hidden inside the vehicle.
Police stopped the vehicle near East Main and Court streets, in the Rockville section of Vernon, at 6:26 p.m. and the K9 Thor found what police believed to be heroin, police said.
When police later took an inventory of the drugs, they had 1,437 bags of heroin stamped with images of Mickey Mouse or Game of Thrones. Their street value is estimated at around $7,000.
Pedro Cartagena, 35, of Manchester, was driving the car and his nephew, Luis Banks, 23, of Manchester, was the passenger, according to police, and both were brought to the police station and charged.
Banks told police that Cartagena was taking him to see a friend and he denied knowing about heroin in the car, according to the court filing.
He did admit to being an occasional heroin user and said he stole a bag of heroin from his uncle a few days earlier and that was the bag police found in his pants, the court documents say.
When police spoke with Cartagena, he said he buys a few "stacks" of heroin each day, uses 45 bags a day himself and sells other bundles, according to police.
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He told police that the house he was heading to sell heroin to someone when police stopped him.
Cartagena also admitted to selling heroin to Banks police said.
Cartagena was charged with possession of narcotics, possession of narcotics with intent to sell, possession of narcotics within 1,500 feet of a school or daycare and improper number of headlamps. He is being held in lieu of a $100,000 bond
Banks was charged with possession of narcotics and possession of narcotics within 1,500 feet of school or daycare. He is being held in lieu of a $2,500 bond.
Cartagena is being held on $150,000 bond and he's due back in court on Feb. 26.
Banks did not appear in court on Wednesday.
