Alameda traffic stop yields meth, weapons arrest

At 2:30pm on February 1, Alameda resident Martin Van-Le was stopped for a minor traffic violation while driving through the 1800 block of Webster Street. According to the police report, “a strong odor of marijuana could be smelled coming from the inside of [Van-Le’s] vehicle” as officers approached his car. A responding officer searched the car and recovered an expandable baton, false bottom container, methamphetamine packaged for sale, and a methamphetamine glass pipe.

After the stop, 24-year-old Van-Le allowed police to search his Alameda home. As stated in the police report, “[a] consensual search of [Van-Le’s] apartment revealed an AK-47 assault rifle, illegal assault rifle magazines, handguns and marijuana packaged for sale.”

Van-Le was arrested for possessing an assault weapon, drug paraphernalia, and marijuana with the intent to sale. Additional charges included unlawful carrying and possession of weapons, transporting methamphetamine, selling methamphetamine, and violating section 11366 of the California Penal Code: “maintain[ing] a place for the purpose of unlawfully selling, giving away, or using a controlled substance.” Van-Le faces up to 9 and a half years in prison and $21,500 in fines.