Suspects Arrested in Major Traffic Stop Drug Bust in Dutchess County

Over the last several months, law enforcement throughout the Hudson Valley have had tremendous success in apprehending individuals in possession of dangerous narcotics. Many of these arrests have come from long term investigations carried about local drug task forces.

Law enforcement has also had a number of instances recently where these dangerous dealers have been apprehended on Hudson Valley roads during traffic stops. That is exactly what happened early this week in Dutchess County.

Traffic Bust in LaGrange

The aforementioned traffic stop and subsequent drug bust originally occurred earlier this week on Tuesday January 21, 2025 when New York State Troopers identified a vehicle traveling on route 55 in the town of LaGrange.

According to the press release issued by the New York State Police, the driver of 2012 Dodge Charger had failed to come to a complete stop at a stop sign before continuing their travels. This is what lead Troopers to engage with the vehicle.

After successfully pulling over the driver, Troopers began their investigation which started with identifying the occupants of the vehicle. Those individuals were identified as Arturo Bonilla, age 25, and Taji Parker, age 24, both of Poughkeepsie.

Further investigation lead to Troopers beginning a search where they found the contraband in question. The search revealed that Bonilla and Parker were in possession of approximately 1.22 kilograms of cocaine.

Arrest and Charges

Upon making the discovery, both suspects Bonilla and Parker were placed under arrest and taken into custody. Afterward Bonilla and Parker were taken in and stood for their arraignment in the town of Stanford Court before the Hon. Dennis Buchal. Following their arraignment, both Bonilla and Parker were remanded to the Dutchess County Jail without bail.

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Officially, Bonilla and Parker with charged with the crimes of  Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance 1st Degree as well as Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance 3rd Degree. Both charges are classified as felonies with the 1st degree charge being a Class A Felony and the 3rd Degree charge being a Class B felony.

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The press release concluded by stating that both Bonilla and Parker are scheduled to be back in court at a later date. It did not state when that date is or if a date has been set.