2 charged after fentanyl, cocaine found in body cavities during search | Police & Courts

WESTERLY — A New London man and Providence resident are each facing drug charges after police discovered both hiding narcotics in a body cavity during separate incidents over the weekend.

Kirk Douglas Watson, 25, and 31-year-old Daniel Waite were each charged with manufacturing, possession or delivery of a narcotic substance. Watson, of New London, was also cited with possession of less than an ounce of marijuana, the police said, and Waite, of Providence, was charged with possession of a controlled substance, second offense.

“There are similarities in each case. Both arrests stem from the fact that a search following a traffic stop led officers to discover drugs on their person,” Westerly Police Chief Shawn Lacey said. “It’s certainly not common, but it is something we’ve seen more of in recent years.”

According to a police report, Watson was charged following a traffic stop Saturday after a patrol officer stopped a car for speeding along Apache Drive around 6:30 p.m. The police said Watson pulled over on Gardner Drive.

The officer detected a strong odor of marijuana, Lacey said, and Watson admitted to police that he “had several grams” with him in the car. The officer called for a police K-9 unit and an open air search revealed the likely presence of narcotics in both the car and on Watson, Lacey said.

Further investigation led polcie to discover that he was in possession of 5.45 grams of a powder that tested positive for crack cocaine, as well as 10.84 grams of marijuana. During the K-9 search, however, Lacey said the dog also indicated that there were drugs on Watson himself.

Lacey said Watson was removed from public view and a more thorough search was conducted, leading officers to find 22 pre-packaged bags containing an additional 10.14 grams of crack cocaine, which were stored in a second bag that had been hidden in one of his body cavities.

He was then taken into custody without further incident.

On Sunday at 9:30 p.m., Westerly police arrested Waite after a traffic stop along Route 91 in Bradford near the Hopkinton town line after the officer saw him run a stop sign.

Lacey said while approaching the car, the officer smelled a strong odor of marijuana. He said the officer spoke with Waite, who told them he did not have any and was simply returning home after a visit with family in Bradford.

Officers called for a K-9 unit, which indicated there were likely narcotics in the car as well as on Waite. The search led police to seize two bags that were inside the car, as well as crack cocaine that was discovered on Waite in a body cavity. Lacey said the agency seized 9 grams of crack cocaine in rock form, three grams of powder cocaine and a half-gram of fentanyl.

Lacey said that if it was only marijuana in the car, then the K-9 would not have returned any positive results in either case.

“Due to changes in law, our K-9s are no longer trained to smell for marijuana. They will only alert to a positive if it is a narcotic,” Lacey explained. “In both these cases, the search led to the discovery of additional narcotics that the suspects were attempting to hide.”

Both men were arraigned in Fourth Division District Court and remain in state custody after being ordered held without bail. Neither has entered a plea to the charges.