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Officer Justin DiGuglielmo smelled pot after stopping a 2019 Nissan Rogue on Broadway at 26th Street just after 10:45 p.m. Monday, Sgt. Brian Metzler said.
The officer then found a plastic bottle with marijuana residue and a 9mm Kel-Tec P-11 handgun loaded with five rounds hidden inside a sock in the center console.
The driver, 24-year-old Raymond Severino of Paterson, was charged with weapons offenses – including being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm – as well as possession of drug paraphernalia and illegally using a handheld device while driving.
Severino, previously of Bridgeport, CT, remained held Tuesday afternoon in the Bergen County Jail.
The handgun was submitted for ballistics testing to determine whether it can be matched to other crimes, Metzler said.
Police in Ocean Township charged Severino and another Paterson man last year with swiping packages from porches while wearing FedEx uniforms.
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