Drug-seekers arrested in traffic stop

KALAMAZOO, Mich. (WOOD) - Three people were arrested during a traffic stop after admitting they were trying to buy drugs in the area.

The Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety received ongoing complaints about drug trafficking in the 900 block of Trimble Avenue. So Officer Jeff Deblecourt went on patrol around 8 p.m. Sunday in the area.

He spotted a driver perform a traffic violation and the officer stopped the vehicle.

The driver -- a 27-year-old Rochester Hills woman -- told the officer she and her 30-year-old husband were in the area trying to purchase drugs. The couple said a 45-year-old Constantine woman, who was a passenger in their vehicle, was helping them.

Officer Deblecourt checked the driver's background and discovered she had a concealed pistol permit.

The woman didn't tell the officer right away that she had a handgun in the vehicle -- a violation of the requirements regarding the permit.

While Officer Deblecourt was talking with the driver, her husband retrieved her handgun, unloaded it and hid it under his seat.

The woman was arrested for alleged drunken driving. She was also cited for failing to inform the officer that she was in possession of a handgun.

Her husband was arrested for carrying a concealed weapon because he didn't have a permit.

The woman from Constantine was arrested on a bench warrant out of St. Joseph County.

The officer seized a .45 caliber semi-automatic handgun, ammunition and a large assortment of prescription medications from the vehicle.