Weed and an Unlicensed Gun Found After Minor Traffic Stop in Somerville

A Somerville man was arrested and charged with planning to distribute marijuana, plus carrying an illegal knife on Monday, May 25. An individual from Chelsea who was arrested at the same time has been charged with unlicensed gun possession.

A report from Somerville Police states that Neris A. Calderon, 23, of Somerville, and Jerson Merino, 21, of Chelsea, were initially pulled over for failing to use their turn signal in their black Honda CR-V while traversing Highland Avenue.

Upon pulling over, an officer says he observed quite a bit of commotion occurring in the vehicle, and that Merino, Calderon, a third man, and a juvenile appeared to be scrambling to hide something in the passenger’s side.

Officers noted that the suspects appeared visibly nervous at the time of a search, in which several plastic baggies of marijuana were found in Merino’s backpack, as well as the aforementioned weapons.

The van’s driver - Jose Pineda, was issued a citation for failing to signal.

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