Traffic stop leads to drug, gun charges in Gwinnett County
Gwinnett police find a gun during a traffic stop. Courtesy of the Gwinnett County Police Department.
GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. - Gwinnett County police say a traffic stop ended with two arrests related to drugs and guns.
What we know:
Officers pulled over a car on May 22 for not using its turn signal, according to the Gwinnett County Police Department.
When officers started talking to the people in the car, the passenger, Alexander Thomas, told officers he had a gun in his waistband.
Video released by the department on Facebook shows officers removing the gun from his pants. GCPD said the gun turned out to be stolen.
Officers then used a police dog, which alerted them to drugs in the car, according to officers.
GCPD officers searched the car, where they found more drugs and another gun, according to the department. The video released by GCPD shows officers finding drugs hidden in a video game case.
The drugs found included marijuana, powdered cocaine, crack cocaine and fentanyl pills.
The driver of the car, Arie Ashekun, was charged with possession of a gun by a felon, improper left turn and window tint violations.
The passenger, Thomas, was charged with possession of cocaine, possession of fentanyl and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony.
Dig deeper:
The officers involved in the arrest are part of Gwinnett County police’s Operation Summer Peace, a public safety initiative aimed at increasing police visibility, reducing crime and strengthening community engagement during the summer.
The Source: Information for this article came from a press release written by Gwinnett county police and a video posted to their Facebook (embedded above).