Three people, including two women from Chatham, are facing drug and weapon charges following a traffic stop on Highway 401 in Thames Centre.
The Ontario Provincial Police said officers on general patrol were alerted by their Automated Licence Plate Recognition system of a potentially suspended driver at around 9 p.m. on Friday.
After pulling the vehicle over in the eastbound lanes of the highway, officers arrested the suspended driver. Following a search of the vehicle, officers also located a loaded handgun, around 130 grams of suspected fentanyl and a large quantity of suspected cannabis.
As a result, two passengers in the vehicle were also arrested.
A 29-year-old Chatham woman, a 25-year-old Chatham woman, and a 19-year-old man from Oshawa are all facing several charges including unauthorized possession of a prohibited/restricted firearm, unauthorized possession of a weapon, possession of a Schedule I substance for the purpose of trafficking, and possession of more than 30g of dried cannabis in a public place.
The 29-year-old is also facing multiple charges for driving while under suspension, failing to surrender a licence and driving with liquor readily available.
All three of the accused were held in custody for a bail hearing.