Police Charge Nine with Possessing Striped Bass

Striped bass possession and a drug arrest topped the list of cases handled recently by the Maryland Natural Resources Police.

Over two nights of surveillance, officers charged nine men with possessing 87 striped bass from the waters of Dorchester County.

On Saturday, an officer watched as four men caught striped bass and hid them in storm drains on Fishing Creek Bridge. The officer recovered 14 fish.

Charged with possessing striped bass in a closed season were: Juan Manuel Bravo, 34, of Hyattsville; Emerson DeJesus Vargas Campos, 26, of Riverdale; Jairo Dario Ramierez, 22, of Upper Marlboro; and Elmer Antonio Castillo Araniva, 23, of Upper Marlboro.

The next night, officers watched as five men from Prince George’s County caught fish and placed them in the trunk of an SUV. When officers stopped the vehicle and searched it, they found 73 striped bass in a duffel bag.

Charged with possessing striped bass in a closed season were: Kevin Wilfredo Portillo Lopez, 20, Riverdale; Paris Benjamin Lizano Molina, 20, of New Carrollton; Steven Antonio Cabrera, 19, of Riverdale; Joel Antonio Portillo Ramierez, 21, of Cheverly; and Ariel Maur Sagastizado Sanchez, 21, of Hyattsville.

All nine men are scheduled to appear in Dorchester County District Court June 28. If found guilty, each man could be fined as much as $1,500.

An officer on patrol in Queen Anne’s County arrested a juvenile during a traffic stop and charged him with possession of marijuana and possession with intent to distribute.

At about 11 p.m. March 25, the officer saw a vehicle ignore the stop sign as it turned onto Route 8 from Laird Benton Road. Approaching the vehicle, the officer smelled marijuana. A search found 61 grams of the drug – well over the civil citation amount of 10 grams – in plastic bags in the passenger compartment.

The 17-year-old male from Stevensville was released to the custody of his father.

The Queen Anne’s County Drug Task Force is continuing the investigation.