—Appeal by the defendant from a judgment of the County Court, Orange County (Paño Z. Patsalos, J.), rendered November 12, 1998, convicting him of criminal possession of a controlled substance in the first degree, criminal possession of a controlled substance in the third degree, and unlawful possession of marihuana, upon a jury verdict, and imposing sentence. The appeal brings up for review the denial, after a hearing, of that branch of the defendant’s omnibus motion which was to suppress physical evidence.
Ordered that the judgment is affirmed.
The defendant’s contention that a police officer improperly used traffic violations as a pretext to search him was not raised before the hearing court and is, therefore, not preserved for appellate review (see, People v Alcide, 252 AD2d 591). In any event, the officer lawfully stopped the vehicle driven by the defendant’s companion based upon his observation of the traffic violations (see, People v Ellis, 62 NY2d 393; People v Alcide, supra). Upon observing a bag by the defendant’s feet containing a brown vegetative substance which he believed to be marihuana, the officer possessed the common-law right to inquire about the bag (see, Matter of Camille H., 215 AD2d 143; People v Hines, 155 AD2d 722). The subsequent observations of the officer which led to the seizure of over one pound of crack cocaine from the defendant were proper (see, People v Hill, 148 AD2d 546).
The defendant’s contention that he received ineffective assistance of counsel is without merit (see, People v Baldi, 54 NY2d 137).
The sentence imposed was not excessive (see, People v Suitte, 90 AD2d 80).
The defendant’s remaining contentions are without merit. Ritter, J. P., S. Miller, Feuerstein and Schmidt, JJ., concur.