Pair remains free after drug pleas

SALEM – Two men caught with cocaine in their car in Saugus last December remain free each on $1,000 cash following their arraignment in Salem Superior Court.Richard Johnson, 56, of 12 Sumner St., Saugus, and Nuno Mendonca, 34, of 29 Virginia Lane, Newburyport, pleaded not guilty Monday afternoon to trafficking over 14 grams of cocaine and possession with the intent to distribute buprenorphine before Judge Timothy Q. Feeley.The charges stem from their arrest in Saugus on Sumner Street, Dec. 29 when police said they confiscated approximately 18 grams of heroin and one illegal tablet from inside their Ford SUV, registered to Mendonca.The cocaine reportedly was discovered inside the vehicle.Police investigators had observed suspicious activity and set up surveillance prior to their arrest.The two men are due back in court on Dec. 28 for a hearing.