Cereal Drug Trafficking Identified During Traffic Stop
Massachusetts State Trooper Scott Boutell didn’t discover a sticker or toy hidden in a Frosted Flakes cereal box during a traffic stop on Friday, July 16, instead, the trooper seized 3,100 bags of heroin stashed inside the box.
Massachusetts State Police said that two bundles of heroin, a bag of fentanyl, a bag of crack cocaine, a bag of crystal methamphetamine and a glass pipe were also uncovered during the traffic stop.
According to officials, Trooper Boutell pulled a black Subaru Forester over at around 12:30 a.m. after observing the vehicle had improper auxiliary lights and an illegal handwritten license plate.
The trooper approached the vehicle’s driver, Justin Butchino, of of Springfield, Vermont, and asked for his license and registration. Butchino gave the trooper his license, but wasn’t able to provide any credible proof of registration or proof of ownership, he “insisted the vehicle was properly registered” police said.
The 31-year-old’s license was also suspended, said state police.
Trooper Boutell proceeded to ask the passenger, 36-year-old Justin Gilliam for identification. Gilliam’s I.D card revealed that he was also a resident of Springfield, Vermont.
Unable to verify the vehicles ownership, the trooper called for backup and placed Butchino under arrest for driving with a suspended license, state police report.
MSP searched Buchino and found a bundle of heroin inside his right pocket, police said.
A subsequent search of Gilliam led to the discovery of a bag of crystal methamphetamine in his left pocket, Gilliam was arrested after the search, said authorities.
While searching the black Subaru officials, police say they found “a used syringe in the passenger door pocket, a box cutter, a purse containing two bundles of heroin, a small white baggie containing a substance consistent with fentanyl, a glass pipe, and a cereal box containing 3,100 bags of heroin and a plastic baggie of crack cocaine.”
Gilliam was transferred and booked at Shelburne Falls State Police Barracks. Butchino was transported to a nearby hospital for pre-existing medical conditions.
Butchino was scheduled to appear in Greenfield District Court on the following charges: possession of class A drugs (heroin); trafficking in class A drugs (heroin/fentanyl); trafficking in class B drugs (cocaine); conspiracy to violate drug laws; unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle; and a violation for the auxiliary lights.
Gilliam was arrested on charges of: trafficking in class A drugs (heroin/fentanyl); trafficking in class B drugs (cocaine); and possession of a class b drug (methamphetamine).
