400 grams of coke seized; State police stop driver on I-84.

• Position: LOCAL NEWS

Byline: Craig S. Semon

The following clarification was published April 25, 2007:

DUDLEY-District Court Judge Neil G. Snider cited Victor P. Mitchell, 31, of Worcester, as a "significant Triple I" offender among his reasons for setting bail for the suspect in a cocaine trafficking case. A court officer explained that the term refers to a "significant out-of-state criminal," a characterization used in a story about Mr. Mitchell's arrest that appeared in Friday's Telegram & Gazette. Joan Kenney, spokeswoman for the state Supreme Judicial Court, said the judge's reference meant that Mr. Mitchell had a "significant criminal record, according to the Interstate Identification Index," a national criminal record database.

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STURBRIDGE - A Wednesday-night traffic stop on Interstate 84 resulted in nabbing an alleged drug trafficker with 400 grams of cocaine hidden in a compartment under the rear seat.

Victor P. Mitchell, 31, of 5 Cottage St., Worcester, is charged with trafficking of cocaine. The estimated street value of the seized cocaine is between $50,000 to $100,000, according to a Worcester County Regional Drug and Counter Crime Task Force member.

Mr. Mitchell also is charged with failure to drive within a marked lane, driving a vehicle with window obstruction/nontransparent windows (for "extremely dark tinted windows"), failure to drive in the right lane and driving with a false license.

During the stop, Mr. Mitchell handed the trooper a driver's license that identified him as Taj R. Nell, 25. His fingerprints were sent to the FBI and matched to Mr. Mitchell.

According to Judge Neil G. Snider's signed disposition to the Superior Court, the reason for ordering bail included the defendant's drug and weapon convictions in New York, his failure to appear at a court proceedings to answer to his offenses in New York and fraudulent use of an alias.

Also in the disposition, Judge Snider referred to Mr. Mitchell as a significant out-of-state criminal. (SEE CLARIFICATION)

Trooper Russell E. Patenaude of the state police barracks in Sturbridge attempted to stop Mr. Mitchell, who was driving east on I-84 in a 2003 Honda Accord, at 9:30 p.m. Wednesday. After a short pursuit, the vehicle pulled over.

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