A routine traffic stop along the Overseas Highway took an unexpected turn over the weekend, resulting in the arrest of a Miami driver on a combination of narcotics and wildlife violations.
Deputies from the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office pulled over 59-year-old Bradford Jonathan Smith at approximately 9:30 p.m. near Mile Marker 101. Smith was operating a Ford pickup truck when deputies observed that both the headlight and license plate light were non-functional.
What began as a standard equipment inspection shifted significantly when deputies detected a strong and distinct odor of marijuana emanating from inside the vehicle cab.
Smith maintained to deputies that no drugs were present in the truck. A subsequent search, however, revealed an entirely different reality. Deputies conducted a pat-down of Smith and discovered a small quantity of cocaine concealed in a baggie within his pocket, along with 3.2 grams of marijuana found inside the pickup truck.
The discoveries extended well beyond narcotics.
A cooler located inside the truck contained an illegal haul taken from local waters. Deputies uncovered 13 undersized mangrove snapper exceeding the legal possession limit, as well as one undersized mutton snapper.
Smith was booked into the Monroe County Jail on six separate charges: possession of cocaine, possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of undersized mangrove snapper, possession of over-the-limit mangrove snapper, and possession of undersized mutton snapper.
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