A routine traffic stop in Fort Lauderdale turned into a major drug bust after police pulled over a white Mercedes-Benz on Sept. 3 and allegedly found methamphetamine, crack cocaine, a stack of cash and a handgun with its serial number shaved off. The passenger, 46-year-old Charles Wilson Pastore of Brooklyn, now faces multiple felony drug charges tied to the stop.
According to the Palm Beach Post, Pastore was a passenger in the Mercedes-Benz when officers stopped the vehicle in Fort Lauderdale. A police K-9 alerted officers to the presence of narcotics inside the car, as reported by CBS12. That alert reportedly led investigators to a black cylinder hidden in the vehicle's spare-tire compartment containing methamphetamine and crack cocaine, according to Yahoo News.
Conflicting Numbers On What Was Found
Reports differ on exactly how much of each drug was recovered from the spare-tire compartment. The New York Post reported the amount as more than 17 grams of methamphetamine and roughly 3.5 grams of crack cocaine, while CBS12's account put the figures at 16.82 grams of methamphetamine and 1.72 grams of crack cocaine. Neither figure has been independently reconciled in the available reporting.
Beyond the drugs hidden in the tire well, investigators said they found more narcotics on Pastore himself along with more than $3,600 in cash, according to the Palm Beach Post's report. A backpack recovered from inside the vehicle held an additional $3,515 in cash, a digital scale and a handgun, the outlet's account continued.
Firearm And Fake ID Add To Charges
The handgun found in the backpack reportedly had an altered or shaved serial number and a round already in the chamber, per the same Palm Beach Post report. Pastore was also found to be carrying an invalid Florida driver's license, according to the outlet, which described Pastore as having a hole in his face where his nose should be — though the reporting does not explain why.
Investigators believe Pastore and the vehicle's driver were working together to traffic and distribute narcotics, according to TCPalm. That belief, attributed to police, forms the basis for the trafficking charge Pastore now faces alongside several possession counts.
Charges And Case Status
Pastore is facing charges that include methamphetamine trafficking, possession of methamphetamine and cocaine, possession of a forged driver's license or identification card, and possession of drug paraphernalia, the Palm Beach Post reported. As Tampa Free Press also noted in its coverage, the arrest stemmed directly from the Sept. 3 traffic stop and the items recovered during the search.
Pastore has since been released on bond, according to Yahoo News, though his next court date had not yet been made public as of that report. No additional court filings, dockets or case updates beyond the initial arrest reporting are currently available.
