Florida officials reported that transit agents “found more than they expected” while making a traffic stop last Friday morning in the south of the state.
Florida County agents Collier discovered guns, drugs and a baby alligator after pulling over a black GMC Sierra pickup truck around 12: 30 am Friday local time near 12th Street Southeast and Golden Gate Boulevard in Naples, the department announced in a post on its Facebook page.
The driver of the vehicle, from 31 years old, was identified as Michael Marolla of Golden Gate Estates in Naples , Florida, who was arrested on two counts of carrying a concealed firearm and two additional counts drug paraphernalia after the stop, the sheriff’s department said.
Deputies began the arrest after they “recognized that the driver from previous encounters with police had a suspended license,” according to the publication.
Upon inspecting the vehicle, officers allegedly discovered “multiple loaded syringes” inside Marolla’s jacket, which ultimately tested positive for methamphetamine.
Agents also found two concealed weapons within Marolla’s reach, one under the front passenger seat and another located in the glove compartment of the truck.
To make matters worse, the agents also located a live baby alligator inside an open plastic tub.
The Conservation Commission of Florida Fish and Wildlife was notified about the alligator and “wildlife officers responded to investigate,” according to the sheriff’s department.
It is illegal to take American alligators live in the wild without a license. (Photo: GREGG NEWTON/AFP via Getty Images) Marolla was released from jail on bond Saturday, according to the Collier County public arrest record, but is due back in court on May 2.
It is unknown why the alligator was in the pick-up or how it got there. However, it is illegal to take live American alligators from the wild without a valid license to trap these reptiles, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission website.
Alligator farming is currently “a very tenuous business,” as the market for alligator skin and meat “is extremely volatile,” according to the commission.
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