Three people have been arrested and charged with several drug and firearms offences following a traffic stop on Highway 401 in Thames Centre.
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) reported a 29-year-old and a 25-year-old, both from Chatham, along with a 19-year-old from Oshawa are accused of multiple crimes, including possession of opioids and cocaine for the purpose of trafficking, unauthorized possession of a prohibited or restricted firearm, driving vehicle with cannabis readily available, driving while under suspension, failing to surrender licence, and driving vehicle with liquor readily available.
The OPP said an officer was alerted by the in-car, Automated Licence Plate Recognition (ALPR) System of a possible suspended driver in the eastbound lanes of the 401 on Friday night.
"The investigation revealed the driver was suspended and was placed under arrest. A search of the vehicle revealed a loaded handgun, approximately 130 grams of illicit drugs, suspected to be fentanyl and a large quantity of suspected cannabis within the vehicle," police said in a news release.
