Opinion ID: 198984
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 9

Heading: The Arrests of Martinez-Velez, Collazo-Aponte, and Merced-Morales

Text: 41 On November 22, 1993, police officers stopped a stolen vehicle. The passengers fled, but the police arrested the driver, Martinez-Velez, and seized a loaded submachine gun, two portable radios, and approximately $1,300 in currency. 42 On September 29, 1994, a police officer observed Collazo-Aponte standing beside a car. The officer announced himself, and Collazo-Aponte threw a bag containing more than 1,000 decks of heroin into the car. He later stated that the car was his. 43 At the time Merced-Morales was arrested, law enforcement officers seized a scale, small ziplock bags, and additional drug paraphernalia from his residence as well as a list of high-powered firearms from his vehicle.