Man arrested after Moriches traffic stop, deputies say ketamine found

A Moriches traffic stop for a ghost plate turned into an arrest, with Suffolk County Sheriff’s deputies saying they found about 260,000 milligrams of ketamine in a white Ford E-350 and that a deputy was injured during the struggle.

Deputies stopped Bashir Shekid, 34, of Manorville, at about 8:15 p.m. Thursday, May 14, after seeing the van display a California license plate and no front plate during a ghost plate enforcement detail. Sheriff’s deputies said the vehicle was unregistered, uninsured, uninspected and carrying improper plates, a combination that drew the stop in the first place.

While deputies were issuing summonses, Shekid allegedly fled. Deputies later located the van and took him into custody. During the arrest, investigators said, Shekid resisted and assaulted a deputy sheriff, leaving the officer injured. The sheriff’s office said the injured deputy was not seriously hurt.

A search of the vehicle turned up a white powdery substance that tested positive for approximately 260,000 milligrams of ketamine, according to the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigation Bureau. The amount was described as more than half a pound.

Shekid was charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance in the fourth degree, assault in the second degree, driving while ability impaired by drugs with a prior conviction within 10 years, obstructing governmental administration in the second degree, unlawful fleeing a police officer in the third degree, resisting arrest, reckless driving and other Vehicle and Traffic Law infractions.

The case highlights the risks deputy sheriffs say come with traffic enforcement tied to ghost plates, which can hide a vehicle’s identity and complicate roadside stops. Suffolk County Sheriff Errol D. Toulon, Jr. said ghost plates are often used to conceal criminal activity and evade law enforcement, and praised deputies for working in harm’s way to keep roads and communities safe.

The sheriff’s office has made ghost plate enforcement a growing priority. In February 2026, it said that since joining the multi-agency Ghost Plate Task Force in August 2025, deputies had issued 1,044 summonses, made 57 arrests and impounded 20 vehicles with help from more than a dozen partner agencies.