POMPANO BEACH, Fla. — Javier Mauricio Bernal, 44, was arrested Wednesday after detectives with the Broward Sheriff’s Office Burglary Apprehension Team caught him exiting a stolen vehicle while carrying fentanyl hidden in his sock.
Investigators had been tracking a black 2014 Dodge Avenger reported stolen out of Pompano Beach. When Bernal exited the car at a shopping plaza on West Atlantic Boulevard, deputies detained him and recovered the car’s key fob from his pocket. A search revealed a small plastic baggie with white powder concealed in his right sock. While Bernal claimed the substance was “flakka,” field tests confirmed it was fentanyl.
At the time of his arrest, Bernal was on felony probation for a prior grand theft conviction and driving on a license that had been indefinitely suspended.
He now faces multiple charges, including:
Grand Theft Auto
Possession of Fentanyl
Driving with a Suspended License (Second Offense)
Probation Violation
Due to the probation violation and an additional hold from Orange County, Bernal is being held without bond at the Broward County Main Jail.
