GREENE COUNTY
A Greene County deputy arrested two men on drug trafficking charges Feb. 2 following a traffic stop on I-20 eastbound.
Jermaine Garfield Ross Edwards, 39, of Lithonia was charged with possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime, trafficking cocaine and trafficking marijuana; Devonte Dante Figueroa, 36, of Stockbridge was charged with giving a false name or address to a law enforcement officer, possession of a firearm while trying to commit a crime, possession of a controlled substance and trafficking cocaine.
Lt. Patrick Paquette made the traffic stop on a black Nissan Altima with a South Carolina license plate after observing the vehicle had extremely dark tinted windows.
According to the incident report, Paquette approached the vehicle and noticed the passenger not properly wearing his seatbelt when he rolled the window down.
Paquette then made contact with the driver and asked him for his driver’s license and registration. The driver was identified as Edwards by the Georgia Driver’s License he presented.
The passenger presented the registration and Paquette noticed the driver was not the registered owner. Edwards told Paquette the vehicle belonged to his cousin.
The window tint registered at 28% which is below the 32% limit.
According to the report, Paquette asked Edwards to step out of the vehicle and explained the reason for the stop. Edwards told Paquette there were no weapons or drugs in the car, and Paquette was then given permission to search the car.
At that point, Paquette asked Edwards to stand 20 paces from the front of the Altima. Paquette then made contact with the passenger who presented a license with the name and identifying information of Errol Montgomery Gordon.
When Paquette asked the passenger what items inside the vehicle belonged to him, he said the brown leather bag he was holding on his lap was his. Lt. Paquette then also told the passenger to wait in front of the vehicle with Edwards.
According to the report, authorities determined during fingerprinting that the passenger had falsely identified himself using the identification of another person.
At the jail, he was identified as Figueroa.
During the search of the vehicle, Paquette found a black bag in the floorboard with a Taurus 9mm handgun inside it. He also located a packaged marijuana blunt and a gray duffle bag in the trunk.
The duffel bag contained two large bundles of marijuana weighing a total of 10 pounds wrapped in plastic.
Next to the duffel bag, Paquette found a cardboard box that contained a vacuum-sealed package of what was later determined to be approximately two pounds of cocaine.
Both men were then arrested.
Paquette was also advised by dispatch that Figueroa was wanted in Arizona on an outstanding arrest warrant for conspiracy to distribute marijuana.