Devon Wells was one of three passengers in a Chevy Impala stopped by Detectives Corey Davis, Muhammed Dombayci and Wisam Salameh near the corner of Summer and Morton streets for unspecified motor vehicle violations, Police Director Jerry Speziale said.
Wells had been released from state prison last February after serving a combined five years in separate stretches for robbery out of Passaic County, records show.
The detectives this time found him carrying a 9mm Taurus handgun, along with a high-capacity magazine and the smack, the director said.
They charged the 20-year-old driver with obstruction and released him along with the two other passengers, Speziale said.
Wells, meanwhile, was charged with drug and weapons offenses, including carrying a firearm as a convicted felon -- otherwise known as the "certain persons" statute. He was sent to the Passaic County Jail to await a first appearance in Central Judicial Processing Court in Paterson.
"Another illegal gun off the streets," Speziale said.
It was being sent to New Jersey State Police for ballistics testing to determine whether it may have been fired during a crime, the director said.
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