What began as a routine traffic stop on Interstate 87 in the Town of Tuxedo on Tuesday ended with three men under arrest, a suspected ghost gun in custody and what troopers describe as a sizable stash of drugs off the road.
According to New York State Police, members of the Troop F Community Stabilization Unit pulled over a 2011 Mercedes‑Benz on the New York State Thruway at about 2:59 p.m. Troopers identified the driver as Samuel L. Martinez, 36, of Amsterdam, and the passengers as Jahdell D. Young‑Smith, 23, of Richmond, and Zimair Tindal, 25, of Brooklyn.
K9 Anson was brought in to conduct an exterior sniff and, state police say, alerted to narcotics on the outside of the vehicle. A subsequent search turned up approximately 1,021 grams of marijuana, roughly 5 grams of cocaine, more than 15 grams of oxycodone in various pill forms, a Polymer80 9mm pistol and a 30‑round magazine loaded with 31 rounds.
Charges and court dates
As reported by Newport Dispatch, all three men were charged with multiple drug and weapons felonies, including criminal possession of a controlled substance in the third degree with intent to sell and criminal possession of a loaded firearm in the second degree.
Martinez was also issued multiple traffic tickets. According to the same report, he was remanded to the Orange County Jail without bail, while Young‑Smith and Tindal were remanded with bail set at $25,000 cash, $50,000 bond or a $100,000 partially secured bond.
What "ghost gun" means for the case
Troopers described the firearm recovered as a Polymer80 9mm, a privately made pistol often referred to as a "ghost gun" because it typically lacks a standard serial number. Federal officials in recent years have tightened how some commercial kits are regulated to improve traceability and to require serialization and background checks for certain "buy‑build‑shoot" kits, according to the Justice Department.
Troop F enforcement focus
Per New York State Police, the incident started as routine traffic enforcement after troopers observed multiple vehicle and traffic violations on the Thruway. The agency credited K9 Anson with alerting troopers to narcotics on the vehicle’s exterior, which led to the search that uncovered the drugs and the weapon. State police said they posted their notice on March 31, with local outlets picking up the story in the days that followed.
What’s next
All three men were arraigned at the Orange County Centralized Arraignment Part and had been scheduled to appear in Town of Tuxedo Court on March 30, according to Newport Dispatch. The Troop F public information officer is listed on the state police release for additional inquiries as court proceedings and any possible filings move forward.
