Somerville police officers arrested an area man near Davis Square and seized bags of an unidentified "white powder substance" while conducting routine surveillance on Sept. 12.
With help from canine units, officers uncovered multiple containers of the substance inside Arlington resident Brian Casey's car, which was unregistered. The powder will be analyzed and identified in a lab in the coming weeks, according to Somerville Police Captain Paul Upton.
The Somerville police arrested Casey for four different offenses, including drug possession and driving with a suspended license.
In an e-mail to the Daily, Upton said that it will take six to ten weeks for scientists to determine what the substance is.
Casey was spotted by the Somerville Police Department's Drug Control Unit while he was traveling through the area in a 2004 Chevrolet Trailblazer. After contacting the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles, the police learned that Casey's license had been revoked and that he was uninsured.
Somerville Police Sgt. John Gobiel and Inspector James P. Hyde stopped Casey and arrested him for motor vehicle violations. During an inspection of the Trailblazer, Gobiel found a "clear plastic bag containing a white powder substance" in the cup holder, according to Hyde's incident report.
Upon this discovery, Hyde requested assistance from two drug detection canine units. Lt. Gordi Clark of the Middlesex County Sherriff's Office and his dog Lox, along with Sgt. Stephen Panzini of the Everett Police Department and his canine Nico, responded.
Lox alerted the officers to the presence of a controlled substance in the front console.
Inspector Kevin Shackelford conducted a further examination of this area and seized a second clear plastic bag, this one containing four individual clear plastic bags of a white powder substance.
The report said that Casey made several voluntary statements during the arrest that could be used against him.
Casey's vehicle was towed to the Somerville Police Department pending civil proceedings.
