Bergen County Sheriff's officers recently pulled over a car for a traffic violation and wound up arresting five men suspected of weapons offenses and drug crimes.
Officers said after they pulled the speeding 1999 Chevy Malibu over, they found inside the vehicle a pair of handguns, several bags of marijuana and more than $3,500 in cash.
The traffic stop was on a Sunday night on Broadway in Fair Lawn. The car was reportedly going too fast and was changing lanes rapidly. The deputy who pulled the car and its five occupants over said he smelled the scent of marijuana coming from the car, so he asked the driver if he could search the vehicle.
The deputy said the driver agreed to the search.
Officers said they found a loaded .45 caliber automatic handgun under the front passenger seat. They also reported finding an unloaded .38 caliber firearm and several bags containing what appeared to be pot.
All the men were searched and police said they found a .38 caliber bullet in a pocket of a 22-year-old man in the car.
The man had been released from prison two months ago on parole.
As most of us know, New Jersey has strict laws regulating firearms.
It can be a third-degree crime to possess weapons without the proper permit or license. You can't posses a handgun, rifle, shotgun, assault firearm or machine gun without a license or permit.
A conviction could mean a prison sentence of up to five years.
Anyone facing weapons charges should immediately speak to an attorney experienced in successfully defending clients in these cases.
Source: Cliffview Pilot: "Bail revoked for ex-con caught in Bergen sheriff officer stop," Jerry DeMarco, Feb. 3, 2012