Traffic Stops Lead To Drug Charges for 2, Police Say

In separate incidents this week, two men were cited for drug possession after being stopped for issues with their vehicle registration, Lower Merion police said at a Monday briefing.

Drug possession: A 34-year-old Bala Cynwyd man was cited for drug possession on March 25 after police stopped him for an expired registration, police said. At 11:20 p.m. on March 25, an officer patrolling the area of Belmont Avenue and Jefferson Street conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle.

When the officer approached the driver, he detected an odor of unburned marijuana, and a clear plastic bag with a substance that looked like marijuana was found in the car’s center console, police said. The man was cited for expired registration, emissions and inspection, and issued a non-traffic citation for disorderly conduct, according to the report.

Drug possession:  At 5:33 p.m. on March 31, police stopped a car at the 100 block of Belmont Avenue after running its tags, which revealed that the car’s registration was suspended because it wasn't insured, according to the report. Police learned that the driver also had a suspended license, and the car was not insured, so the vehicle was towed, police said.

An inventory search was conducted and a marijuana grinder was found in the vehicle, according to the report. A 27-year-old Philadelphia man was cited for disorderly conduct and operating under suspension, police said.