BOSTON, May 1, 2012—A Roslindale man was arraigned yesterday on charges that he had more than 10 kilograms of cocaine stashed in a hidden compartment in the car he’d been driving erratically, Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said.

ELVYN RAFAEL GARCIA (D.O.B. 10/3/80) was arraigned yesterday in Roxbury District Court on charges of trafficking in more than 200 grams of cocaine, violating the state’s drug laws in a school zone, and various civil motor vehicle infractions. Assistant District Attorney Joseph Roseme recommended that he be held on $1 million cash bail; Judge David Weingarten set bail at $30,000 and ordered that Garcia surrender his US passport if he has one.

Prosecutors say a Boston Police officer in his marked cruiser observed Garcia traveling on Seaver Street yesterday morning in a green Nissan Quest minivan registered to a Dorchester woman. The officer, who earlier had heard of such a vehicle travelling at a high rate of speed on nearby Brookside Avenue, saw the minivan’s left rear brake light to be faulty and watched as it drove through the stop sign at School Street.

The officer pulled Garcia over and approached the car to find Garcia with his license in hand. In response to the officer’s questions, Garcia allegedly appeared nervous and shaky as he acknowledged the faulty brake light and the fact that he wasn’t the registered owner of the car. When the officer asked if there was anything in the car, he allegedly became more visibly anxious.

Based on his training and experience, the officer believed there might be contraband in the vehicle and called for assistance. A K-9 unit responded to the scene and “hit” on the area near the front passenger seat. Further investigation led officers to an aftermarket panel on the underside of the car and exposed wires inside that suggested a hidden compartment; they were able to open this compartment and found several blocks of what appeared to be narcotics inside.

Garcia was taken into custody and the Quest was towed to District E-13. A more thorough search yielded 10 blocks of cocaine, each weighing over one kilogram each.

Garcia was represented by attorney Robert Sheketoff. He will return to court on May 31.

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All defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.