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A roadway flagger was apprehended by state police on drug charges Wednesday night as he drove a pickup truck north on Interstate 395.Emilio J. Mendez, 32, of Lynn, was stopped about 10 p.m. by Trooper Martin C. Concannon, who was randomly entering registration numbers of vehicles he was passing. When he entered the Ford pickup truck’s license plate number, he learned the registration was revoked because of an insurance cancellation. According to a police report on the arrest in Dudley District Court, after the trooper stopped the vehicle, Mr. Mendez “blurted out, ‘Officer, I work with you guys all the time.’ ”He also told the trooper he had “a lot of respect for the police.”During the encounter, the trooper said in the report, that he detected a strong odor of marijuana and could see multiple black trash bags in the crew cab of the truck. The trooper said he could see green leaves sticking out of the plastic bags. When the trooper asked him if the plants were marijuana plants, he admitted that they were. When the trooper asked how many plants he had in the truck, Mr. Mendez reportedly said “nine, no, I mean 11.” During the booking process at the state police barracks in Sturbridge, Mr. Mendez “continuously stated … that he worked with the state police on construction projects.” The police report said Mr. Mendez had an identification card in his wallet that certified him as a commonwealth of Massachusetts roadway flagger. Mr. Mendez then provided police with a statement detailing his involvement in the buying and transporting of marijuana plants from Connecticut to Lynn. Mr. Mendez is charged with manufacturing a controlled substance, possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, a number plate violation, driving an uninsured vehicle and an unregistered vehicle. He pleaded not guilty yesterday in Dudley District Court. Cash bail was set at $200 by Judge Neil G. Snider. His case was continued to Sept. 3.
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