VERO BEACH — A 47-year-old man was arrested after deputies found more than 500 grams of cocaine and other drugs in his vehicle during a traffic stop, Indian River County deputies said.
Clifton Brown, of Windermere, Fla., was charged with trafficking cocaine, possession of marijuana under 20 grams and possession of drug paraphernalia. He is being held at the Indian River County Jail on $502,000 bond.
Clifton Brown PHOTO CONTRIBUTED BY INDIAN RIVER COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE
Shortly before 10 p.m. Thursday, a deputy stopped a vehicle in the 3700 block of 43rd Avenue. While the deputy spoke with the driver, he smelled the odor of marijuana and noticed the driver was shaking as if he were nervous.
The deputy asked the driver, later identified as Brown, if there was anything inside the vehicle he wanted to bring to the deputy’s attention, and Brown said no, according to deputies. Brown then got out of the vehicle and was told to go to the front of the deputy’s patrol car.
A second deputy arrived on scene and both searched Brown’s vehicle. Deputies looked inside a backpack and found 500 grams of a white powdery substance that tested positive for cocaine, a loaded firearm, marijuana inside a Ziploc bag with a glass smoke pipe and a marijuana grinder, deputies said.
Deputies also searched Brown, and found he was in possession of more than $7,000 in cash and a handgun magazine containing eight rounds. Brown said he had a concealed carry weapon permit, but it was not with him at the time.
Brown has been previously arrested twice on felony drug charges, but was never convicted, deputies said.
Brown was arrested and taken to the county jail for booking.