Mendham Township NJ police conducted a traffic stop and arrested a driver who was allegedly in possession of cocaine, crack cocaine, and marijuana.

According to authorities, a Mendham Township patrol officer stopped the suspect after witnessing him talking on a cell phone while driving.

The officer spoke with the suspect and allegedly detected the odor of raw marijuana coming from the suspect’s car. The officer called for assistance, which included a K-9 unit from the Morris County Sheriff’s Office.

The K-9 unit arrived at the scene and sniffed the vehicle. The K-9 unit then indicated to police officers that drugs were present in the vehicle. A short time later, detectives reportedly received consent from the suspect to conduct a full search of the car.

A subsequent search of the vehicle allegedly led to the discovery of a number of bags of cocaine, an “8 ball” of cocaine, and a small bag of marijuana.

According to law enforcement, several of the bags containing cocaine were packaged for distribution.

The 29-year-old suspect, who is from Dunellen NJ, was arrested at the scene without incident. He was charged with several drug crimes, including cocaine possession with intent to distribute, possession of crack cocaine, and simple possession of marijuana.

If the suspect is eventually convicted on the cocaine distribution charges, he would be subject to severe penalties. As set forth by N.J.S.A. 2C:35-5, anyone found in possession of more than 5 ounces of cocaine with the intent to manufacture, distribute, or dispense the drug can be charged with a first degree criminal offense. A conviction on first degree cocaine distribution charges could potentially lead to a sentence of 10-20 years in New Jersey State Prison.

For more information about this case, view the NJ.com article entitled “Man Pulled Over for Using Phone Had Cocaine, Crack Cocaine and Pot in Car, Police Say.”