NEWBURYPORT, Massachusetts — A Lawrence man was ordered held on $50,000 cash bail following his arraignment Monday in Newburyport District Court on a heroin trafficking charge. At the same time, a Maine woman was ordered held on $25,000 on the same charge.

Kelvin Caceres, 24, of Basswood Street, Lawrence, and Courtney Dyke, 23, of Dixfield, Maine, were arrested Saturday at 3:53 a.m. by Trooper Michael Gerniglia on Interstate 495 north in Salisbury.

They are accused of having almost 90 grams of heroin with an estimated street value of roughly $9,000, according to an Essex County prosecutor.

They were also charged with possession of ammunition without an FID card and Caceres was charged with unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle.

Caceres and Dyke were on their way back to Maine from Lawrence early Saturday when Gerniglia noticed a broken headlight, according to Essex County prosecutor Shailagh Kennedy.

After pulling the car over, Caceres told the trooper that he didn’t have a valid driver’s license. While speaking to Caceres and Dyke, who appeared nervous, Gerniglia noticed a white powdery substance on the center console. He also spotted an orange prescription bottle.

Gerniglia, after a back-up trooper arrived, ordered the two out of the car and searched inside. It wasn’t long before he found nine bags of tightly packaged heroin.

Caceres and Dyke were arrested and taken to the Newbury barracks for booking. Troopers found additional heroin on Dyke, according to Kennedy.

In her bail argument, Kennedy told Judge Peter Doyle that it was not uncommon for people to drive from Maine to Lawrence in search of heroin.

“It’s a known hub for narcotics activity,” Kennedy said.

Caceres’ attorney, Andrew Benson, argued for lesser bail, saying the drugs were found in the car and not on his client. He added that it was the first time Caceres had been in that vehicle.

Dyke’s attorney, Timothy Connors, argued for $2,500 cash bail, saying that his client was a lifelong Maine resident with two children and unemployed.

Both were ordered to return to court May 31 for pretrial hearings..

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