SOUTH TOMS RIVER — A routine traffic stop in a Wawa parking lot on Dover Road led to the discovery of crack cocaine and a stolen handgun, resulting in two arrests, police said.
Patrolman Dominick Palino stopped the vehicle on October 31 around 8 p.m. After noticing behavior that raised concerns about possible criminal activity, he requested assistance from the Ocean County Sheriff’s Office.
Sheriff’s Officer Trust and K-9 Mako conducted an open-air sniff around the vehicle, and the dog alerted to the presence of narcotics. A subsequent probable cause search uncovered roughly six grams of suspected crack cocaine hidden in the driver’s seat, according to police.
Officers also found a loaded Taurus G2S 9mm handgun that had been reported stolen in North Carolina.
Both the driver, who was additionally wanted on an active warrant out of Barnegat Township, and the passenger were arrested and taken to the Ocean County Jail pending a detention hearing.
The identities were not released by police.
