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Sgt. John Andronaco stopped the white BMW with Florida license plates on Bergen Turnpike shortly before 11:15 a.m., Detective Lt. Ronald Klein Jr said.
The sergeant smelled pot inside the car and asked both occupants to step out, he said.
The driver, Yusuf Peay, 40, of Trenton, consented to a search of the vehicle, after which Andronaco found some pot and a pull-down rear-seat console that led to the trunk area, Klein said.
Peay consented to a continued search of the trunk, during which Klein said the sergeant found a plastic bag that contained more pot, clear bags used to package the drug and, wrapped in a towel, a semi-automatic Springfield Armory XD-40 handgun.
Peay and his passenger, Miranda Collier, 37, of the Bronx were both taken into custody.
Collier was charged with possession of marijuana and released pending a court hearing.
Peay was charged with drug and weapons offenses, including being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm, and was sent to the Bergen County Jail to await a hearing in Central Judicial Processing Court in Hackensack.
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ALSO SEE: A passenger who drew a police sergeant’s attention by flicking cigar ashes out an SUV’s window contributed to the discovery of a loaded, stolen handgun and $1,665 in suspected drug proceeds, authorities said.
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