Colonie Police Traffic Stop Turns Up Ghost Gun

Riding around in a car with a group of your friends can sometimes be riskier than most people think. If you’re driving around with other people in your car, and they are in possession of illegal items, you could possibly go down with them and be arrested also.

According to News 10, on Thursday night just around midnight, officers from the Colonie Police Department stopped a 2001 Nissan Maxima for several traffic violations. When the officers approached the vehicle, they discovered that the driver, 31-year old Jaquan J. Sams, was driving on a suspended license. Sams also notified the officers that he had several bags of marijuana.

The police officers searched the vehicle and discovered a small amount of cocaine near the driver's seat. Officers also discovered what they call a “ghost gun” that belonged to a passenger, 24-year-old Zaquawn D. Graves. A ghost gun is a gun that has the serial number or any identifying marks removed.

Another passenger in the vehicle, 30-year-old Belinda J. Caravella-Taylor, was in possession of 3 MDMA pills and a small amount of marijuana.

The driver, Jaquan Sams, was arrested and charged with the following: driving a vehicle without proper inspection, driving a vehicle with improper plates, driving an unregistered vehicle, making an unsafe U-turn, unlawful possession of marijuana, third-degree aggravated unlicensed operation, seventh-degree possession of a controlled substance, and drinking alcohol in the vehicle.

Passenger Zaquawn Graves was arrested and charged with two counts of third-degree criminal possession of a weapon, which are felony charges.

Passenger Belinda Caravella-Taylor was charged with 7th-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance.

Even though all of the people in the vehicle were in possession of something illegal, they could have still been in trouble if the police found drugs on any one of them. Be careful of who you ride around with and who you drive around in your car.

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