Westminster traffic stop yields cocaine possession and dealing charges

Carroll County sheriff’s deputies have arrested and charged two Westminster residents with possessing and selling cocaine following a May 9 traffic stop on Route 140 near Malcolm Drive.

According to a news release from the sheriff’s office, deputies stopped an Acura with tinted windows which they believed to be darker than allowed, and found that neither the female driver, 20, nor the male passenger, 29, had a valid driver’s license.

Deputies said they seized 16.4 grams of suspected cocaine and cash totaling $1,782 from the vehicle after a canine unit alerted officers to the presence of drugs. Police said the money was separated into stacks and denominations consistent with illegal drug dealing.

Both suspects were arrested and charged with possession and possession with intent to distribute a controlled dangerous substance. Both posted a $10,000 bond on May 10, according to court records, and both were released from police custody.

Court records show that both suspects live at the same address and that the man had been charged with driving without a license in 2012, 2016 and 2018.