What started as a routine DUI stop in Cotati on Dec. 27, 2025, quickly escalated into a weapons and drug bust, after officers say they found a loaded, unserialized 3D‑printed handgun tucked under the driver’s seat and multiple small bags of cocaine on the driver. The arrest was one of several made during a concentrated, grant‑funded DUI saturation patrol that ran over the weekend.
What officers found
According to Cotati Police, officers pulled the vehicle over after watching it weave and make unsafe lane changes. A Drug Recognition Expert later determined the driver was under the combined influence of alcohol and a stimulant. During a search of the car, officers say they located a loaded, unserialized 3D‑printed firearm on the floorboard beneath the driver’s seat and recovered multiple bags of cocaine from the driver, in a post the department shared publicly and that was relayed by Crime Voice.
Arrest and charges
Local reporting identified the suspect as a 24‑year‑old Hayward man and says he was booked into the Sonoma County Jail on multiple counts, including driving while under the combined influence (23152(g) VC), carrying a loaded firearm in a vehicle (25850(a) PC), carrying a concealed firearm in a vehicle (25400(a)(1) PC), and drug possession plus a firearms‑with‑drugs count, as reported by KSRO. The stop was part of a two‑shift DUI saturation patrol funded by a California Highway Patrol cannabis tax fund grant, and Cotati officers made eight DUI‑related arrests during that operation, KSRO adds.
Legal consequences
Under California law, carrying a loaded firearm in public or in a vehicle is treated as a serious offense under Penal Code 25850. Depending on circumstances and prior convictions, that charge can be filed as a misdemeanor or elevated to a felony. Driving while under the combined influence is prohibited under Vehicle Code 23152(g), and Health & Safety Code 11370.1 makes it a felony to possess certain controlled substances while armed with a loaded, operable firearm. Those code sections and related jury instructions outline what prosecutors must prove and the potential penalties that can follow; see Justia for more detail.
Ghost guns and the North Bay
Unserialized, 3D‑printed firearms, often called "ghost guns," have surfaced in a string of Bay Area cases in recent years, prompting heightened attention from local and federal law enforcement. Reporting in the region has documented arrests where 3D‑printed frames, parts and finished unserialized pistols were seized during traffic and narcotics investigations, highlighting the enforcement challenges these weapons present. For context, see coverage from the San Francisco Chronicle and a recent North Bay item from Patch.
Cotati Police shared the case on the department’s social feed and said officers will continue using grant‑funded saturation patrols to target impaired drivers and remove weapons from the road. Charging decisions and any formal court filings are handled by the Sonoma County District Attorney, and booking information is public record that may be updated as the case moves forward.
