BY MATT HERSH

A Lynn, Mass., man arrested in Salem last August after being caught with 16 pounds of cocaine could be facing life in prison.

Juan Castillo, 41, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court on Friday, March 23, to possession with intent to distribute. He is being held without bail, awaiting his sentencing on June 21.

Salem police pulled Castillo over in August after he sped through a red light on Rockingham Boulevard, according to court documents. Detective Mark Sambotaro smelled the odor of marijuana coming from the car.

“The officer said the driver seemed to be nervous, but he consented to a search of his vehicle,” according to Salem Police Capt. William Ganley.

A search conducted with the help of two state troopers and a drug-sniffing dog revealed more than $1 million worth of  drugs stored in a secret compartment in the trunk of Castillo’s 1996 Audi A6.

Castillo will have to serve, at minimum, a mandatory 10 years in federal prison due to the large quantity of drugs he was transporting at the time of his arrest.

Salem police officials said the bust was one of the largest in town history. Typically, busts of this magnitude are made after months of investigation, Ganley said.

“It was definitely the biggest hit and the largest amount of drugs we’ve ever recovered during a traffic stop,” Ganley said. “Sometimes you’re in the right place at the right time.”