Police arrested a North Charleston man Friday evening on multiple gun and drug charges after a patrol near a local motel.
Officers with the South Evenings Team 1 were patrolling around 8 p.m. near the Siesta Motor Lodge on Rivers Avenue when they noticed a vehicle parked in front of the business. An officer observed the front passenger, identified as Treance Thaddeus Smalls, 28, abruptly snap his head forward and slump down in his seat in what appeared to be an attempt to avoid being seen after noticing a marked patrol vehicle.
Officers made contact with the vehicle’s occupants after driving past. Detecting the odor of marijuana, they conducted a probable cause search of Smalls. During the search, officers found a Crown Royal bag containing significant quantities of narcotics, including:
- 18.2 grams of cocaine base
- 4.2 grams of fentanyl powder
- 10.8 grams of methamphetamine
- 19 oxycodone pills
A subsequent search of the vehicle uncovered a handgun loaded with 12 rounds of ammunition.
Smalls was charged with trafficking fentanyl, trafficking cocaine base, three counts of possession of a firearm during the commission of a violent crime, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, unlawful possession of a handgun, and possession of Schedule II narcotics.
He was transported to the Al Cannon Detention Center.
