St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office arrest New Orleans man for distribution of marijuana, recover handgun and cash following traffic stop

A New Orleans man was arrested July 19 in Arabi and a large amount of marijuana, a handgun and more than $2,000 in cash were recovered after a deputy conducted a traffic violation stop, St. Bernard Sheriff James Pohlmann said.

Christopher Buckley, 33, of the 3500 block of Tullis Drive in New Orleans, was booked with possession with the intent to distribute marijuana, possession of a firearm while in possession of a controlled dangerous substance, convicted felon in possession of a firearm, possession of drug paraphernalia, and failure to use turn signal.

On July 19 shortly after noon, Sheriff Pohlmann said, agents with the Special Investigations Division conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle for switching lanes without signaling by hand or lamps while traveling westbound in the 6600 block of Judge Perez Drive in Arabi.

During the traffic stop, agents noticed a strong aroma of marijuana emitting from inside Buckley’s vehicle. Following a search of the vehicle, agents recovered six bags containing a combined weight of 300 grams of marijuana, a digital scale, a box of clear plastic baggies, $2,316 in cash, and a fully-loaded Taurus .38 special handgun.

A criminal history check on Buckley revealed he is a convicted felon who is on probation for a charge out of New Orleans for possession with intent to distribute a controlled dangerous substance.