On July 9, at approximately 7:21 p.m, patrol officers conducted a traffic stop in the 600 block of South Boulevard due to the driver not wear a seat belt. Upon approaching the vehicle, the officers detected a strong odor of cannabis emanating from inside, said Commander Joe Dugan of the Evanston Police Department. As the officers were checking the vehicle, they discovered the rear seat opened up to give access to the trunk of the vehicle and upon checking, they discovered a loaded Bryco Arms 9mm handgun along with a book bag that contained 30 individual plastic bags of cannabis for a total weight of 26 grams, said the Commander. The front seat passenger of the vehicle was discovered to have 21 individual bags of cannabis concealed in his pants for a total weight of 19 grams.
Both the passenger, age 22, and the driver, age 29, were taken into custody and transported to the Evanston Police Department. Both men are from Chicago. The passenger was charged with Unlawful Possession of Cannabis with Intent to Deliver – Class 4 Felony. The driver was violation of his parole after the Illinois Department of Corrections issued a warrant for his arrest. Charges relating to the recovered handgun are being held pending results from the crime laboratory, said the Commander.