PEOPLE v. SANTIAGO (2018)

Judgment, Supreme Court, New York County (James M. Burke, J.), rendered January 28, 2015, as amended February 17, 2015, convicting defendant, after a jury trial, of criminal possession of a controlled substance in the third degree, and sentencing him, as a second felony drug offender previously convicted of a violent felony offense, to a term of six years, unanimously affirmed.

The court properly denied defendant's suppression motion.  There is no basis for disturbing the court's credibility determinations (see People v. Prochilo, 41 N.Y.2d 759, 761, 395 N.Y.S.2d 635, 363 N.E.2d 1380 [1977] ).  During a lawful traffic stop, the police saw defendant place in his waistband a clear sandwich bag containing four smaller plastic bags of a white substance.  Based on his training and experience, an officer reasonably believed that the four smaller bags contained cocaine.  At this point, the officers had probable cause to arrest defendant.  Bags of white powder have long been recognized as indicative of the presence of drugs (see e. g. People v. Ricciardi, 149 A.D.2d 742, 540 N.Y.S.2d 526 [2d Dept. 1989] ), and the fact that some white powdery substances are legal does not undermine probable cause (see generally Brinegar v. United States, 338 U.S. 160, 175, 69 S.Ct. 1302, 93 L.Ed. 1879 [1949];  People v. Bigelow, 66 N.Y.2d 417, 423, 497 N.Y.S.2d 630, 488 N.E.2d 451 [1985] ).