Cranston Police arrested two men and seized nearly two pounds of heroin after a routine traffic stop off Farmington Avenue last week.

The street value of the heroin was about $110,000.

According to police, Luis Marte, 34, of 151 Farmington Ave.; and Luis Fernandez, 26, of 70 Perkins Ave., were pulled over after police saw them driving a 2006 black BMW on Princess Avenue "committing traffic violations while displaying a suspended license."

The officers on patrol were Daniel Dempsey and Austin Smith. Smith, a rookie just three weeks out of the academy, was being shown the ropes by Dempsey when they saw the BMW.

The suspects reportedly tried to flee police when Dempsy tried to stop them and they followed the BMW into the parking lot of Farmington Terrace Apartments, where Marte lives.

"The officers converged on the vehicle and would quickly discover that the reason the operator tried to flee, was because he and his passenger were in possession of a very large quantity of narcotics and cash," said Cranston Police Chief Col. Marco Palombo Jr.

In the parking lot, the suspects at first pretended to ignore the presence of police but "after they were given verbal commands to show their hands, the operator tried ot reach back into the vehicle, which heightened the officers' suspicions," Palombo said.

The passenger got out. He was holding a large brown bag against his stomach. He was ordered to drop it. Once the two suspects were in custody, police looked in the bag and found several large plastic sandwich bags filled with heroin.

Along with the drugs, police found $3,200 cash. The heroin was separated into four large bags, each containing about 100 to 200 grams of heroin with a combined weight of 696.4 grams — about a pound-and-a-half.

The large amount of drugs prompted the involvement of the Cranston Police Special Investigations Unit. They obtained a court warrant to search Marte and Fernandez's apartments. 

At Ferndandez's apartment, police seized a 12 gauge shotgun. At Marte's apartment, they found another 116 grams of heroin, bringing the total amount of drugs seized to 812 grams — just under two pounds. 

Police also seized scales, 55,000 individual baggies, the BMW, two Samsung smart TVs and a Mac computer, "all of which are subject to forfeiture as suspected proceeds of illegal drug trafficking activities."

Both men were charged with the manufacturing or possession with the intent to deliver heroin, 1 OZ to 1 KG and Fernandez, who was driving the suspect vehicle, was charged with an additional count of attempting to elude a police officer. Both men were arraigned and ordered held without bail at the Adult Correctional facility where they are awaiting trial.