Cops Find Drugs in Pants, Counterfeit Goods in Car

Police seized $10,000 worth of counterfeit merchandise, 112 grams of cocaine and several hundred dollars as a result of a July 31 traffic stop on I-85 northbound near Hamilton Mill Road.

A Gwinnett County Police officer stopped a white Chevrolet Malibu driven by Bradley Dendy, 22, of Greenwood, S.C., for following too closely after noticing the vehicle was traveling within a car length of an 18-wheeler.

According to the officer’s report, Dendy appeared “overly nervous” and his passenger, Fred Bennett, 26, of Greenville, S.C., refused to make eye contact. The officer asked Dendy to exit the vehicle in order for the officer to issue him a citation for the traffic violation.

While speaking with the officer, Dendy said he and Bennett had traveled from South Carolina and spent the night at a hotel in Atlanta.

“When I questioned Dendy about any drugs in the vehicle, I noticed his demeanor changed,” the officer wrote in the arrest report.

Another officer questioned Bennett, whose story did not match Dendy's.

The officer asked for and received consent to search the vehicle from Dendy. When the officer asked Bennett the same question, Bennett reportedly replied, “You won’t find anything in this car.”

At that point, the officer conducted a pat down of Bennett and felt an object in Bennett’s waistband. The officer asked Bennett what it was and Bennett allegedly replied, “Dope.”

The officer found two clear baggies in Bennett’s groin area which contained an off-white substance, which later field-tested positive for cocaine. Though Bennett claimed the drugs were his and that Dendy knew nothing about it, both men reportedly made incriminating statements after being mirandized. Dendy also made mention of “knock off bags” which, according to the police report, were to be sold in Greenville by “Bennett’s old lady.”

The “knock off bags” found in the vehicle included counterfeit versions of Louis Vuitton, Jimmy Choo, Michael Kors, Coach and Prada purses. The officer also found 24 items of clothing labeled as Polo as well as five items labeled as Adidas. A counterfeit goods expert estimated the value of the merchandise to be $10,000. Police seized the counterfeit goods as well as $714 found in Bennett’s possession.

Bennett and Dendy were transported to the Gwinnett County Jail on charges of possession of counterfeit merchandise and cocaine trafficking. Both men remain jailed without bond.

In July, another . Adrian Kiser, 35, of Rock Hill, S.C. was arrested after police found four plastic bags containing purses with Coach, Louis Vuitton, Gucci and other designer labels. The officer also found six shirts labeled as Polos. Kiser initially said the items were for his wife, but later admitted that he had bought them for the purpose of reselling them for a profit in South Carolina.

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