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Perryville, Md. – On Sunday, Feb. 4, the Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA) Police arrested a North Carolina man after a probable cause search led officers to find approximately 64 pounds of suspected marijuana and a loaded handgun, according to Lt. Kevin Ayd.
Ayd said an MDTA Police officer stopped John D. Cooley, a 40-year-old from Ashville, N.C., on MD 222 at Heather Lane in Perryville for exceeding the posted speed limit. Cooley was operating a 2017 Jeep Grand Cherokee. During a subsequent probable cause search of the vehicle, officers located approximately 64 pounds of marijuana and the handgun, according to Ayd.
The MDTA Police charged Cooley with possession with the intent to distribute a controlled dangerous substance, knowingly transporting a firearm in a vehicle while traveling on a public road, possessing a firearm on person, unlawfully possessing a controlled dangerous substance in the amount of 50 pounds or more, and engaging in drug trafficking crime while transporting a firearm.
After processing, officers transported Cooley to the Cecil County Court Commissioner. Mr. Cooley is being held without bail at the Cecil County Detention Center.