WASHINGTON HEIGHTS — What looked like a routine car stop Tuesday night turned into a bigger bust after police found marijuana and several firearms in the vehicle, including an assault rifle and a double-barreled shotgun, officials said.
Cleon Cortez, 45, from South Carolina, was headed northbound on Broadway at West 174th Street in a red Dodge Durango SUV when police stopped him in front of 4116 Broadway for driving erratically, officials said.
Cortez switched lanes without using a turn signal, sources said.
When police approached Cortez, the smell of marijuana was emanating from the car, and police found "what appeared to be a half open cooler in the middle of the back seat with a box of shotgun shells," according to the Manhattan District Attorney's office.
As the officers investigated further, police said, they found a rifle case with a loaded AK-47, a 12-gauge double-barreled shotgun with nine boxes of shotgun shells, two 46-round magazines, 40-caliber rounds of ammunition and three zip-lock bags of marijuana.
Police could not confirm where Cortez was headed, but said that he was driving with a suspended license, prosecutors said.
He was arraigned Thursday afternoon and bail was set at $100,000 cash and $150,000 bond. He is due back in court on Aug. 22.
Cortez's lawyer did not immediately respond to requests for comment.