Cocaine found in baby's crib

After a traffic stop that led to a household search for narcotics Tuesday evening, officers found 2 grams of cocaine hidden in a baby’s crib, Brownsville police said.

A month-old baby regularly slept there, authorities said.

Police arrested the baby’s father, Erik Gallegos, 20, on charges of possession of crack cocaine with intent to distribute, tampering with evidence and five counts of child endangerment.

Canine officers stopped a black Mazda late in the afternoon at the 5200 block of South Padre Island Highway for a defective taillight, Ted Torres of the Brownsville Police Department said.

The driver, Gallegos, quickly tried to dissolve a small amount of cocaine in a cup of water that was in the vehicle, Torres said.

A small child was in the passenger seat and could directly access the cocaine, which had been dissolved in the water cup in a cup holder, Torres said.

“The child could have picked it up and drank from it,” he said.

Gallegos consented to a search of his residence at 4904 Eloy Street, off McKenzie Road. He lived with five of his children, ages ranging from 1 month to 7 years, Torres said. Four of the children were in the home at the time of the search.

Officers found 2 grams of cocaine hidden in the crib under the baby’s pillow, Torres said. The infant was not in the crib at the time, but Torres said police suspect Gallegos used the crib as an ongoing hiding place.

“That was the actual place they always hide it,” he said.

The cocaine was wrapped in a small pack, but Torres said the infant could have torn apart the casing and ingested the drug.

Gallegos was arraigned, and bail was set at $40,500.

Sgt. Felix Sauceda of the Brownsville Police said Gallegos has six children and that he fathered the eldest child when he was 11.

Sauceda said Gallegos is wanted in Cameron County for failing to pay child support.