Routine traffic stops leading to illegal gun arrests in Frederick County

Routine traffic stops leading to illegal guns arrests in Frederick County

The Frederick County Sheriff is concerned about an increased number of routine traffic stops leading to illegal guns. He believes the drug trade is a big reason why. FOX 5's Josh Rosenthal spoke to Sheriff Chuck Jenkins about his concerns.

FREDERICK, Md. - The Frederick County Sheriff is concerned about an increased number of routine traffic stops leading to illegal guns.

He believes the drug trade is a big reason why.

"I’m really concerned. I am, I am extremely concerned," Sheriff Chuck Jenkins told FOX 5. "Citizens should be aware of it. They should be aware the problems are increasing, and more than anything be aware that we’re going to continue attacking that problem."

Investigators released pictures Tuesday of guns and drugs that they said deputies have pulled off the street in four separate incidents just this month. In each case, Jenkins said there was a routine traffic stop – in one instance for speeding, as an example – and each time deputies would go on to discover drugs, and increasingly, guns.

Jenkins believes that oftentimes Frederick County is not the final stop for a lot of suspects. He thinks they’re moving drugs through the county via roads including I-270 and Routes 340 and 70.

"We’ve got a full-court press up here on attacking the drug crisis," he said. "We want to get the Fentanyl, the heroin, we’re seeing a lot of crystal meth now we’ve never seen before. We are determined to do everything we can to get those drugs off of the streets and keep them out of the hands of people, especially young people."

Last week, the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office was also part of a major bust in which they seized a large amount of drugs, including more than a pound of Fentanyl.