BOCA RATON, Fla. -- A 19-year-old man was arrested for selling marijuana in Boca Raton last week.
Florida Atlantic University Police say Cole Thomas Gamble, a student at Palm Beach State College on the FAU Boca Raton campus, was pulled over for a traffic stop on Thursday, January 5, 2017, at NW 8th Avenue and FAU Boulevard.
The officer noticed a strong odor of marijuana emanating from the vehicle. When asked about the smell, Gamble said a friend of his was recently in the vehicle and his friend had marijuana on him.
The officer asked if Gamble would mind if the officers conducted a search of the vehicle, but Gamble declined. The officer then advised Gamble that based on the smell of marijuana, Florida law allows officer to search vehicles during a traffic stop.
When asked if there was anything in the vehicle that officers should be concerned about, Gamble said there was a firearm in the console of the vehicle.
A Glock, model 19, 9mm handgun containing 15 rounds of hollow point ammunition was recovered from the vehicle.
A further search of the vehicle revealed a plastic storage box laced with marijuana residue and a very strong smell of marijuana. Inside the box was a large heat sealed baggie which had previously been cut open and contained marijuana residue inside the bag.
Officers also recovered a digital scale, also with marijuana residue.
Inside the trunk, a broken glass bong with residue was located wrapped inside a towel. Inside a zippered pouch that was determined to be a carrying case for the bong, officers found a baggie containing marijuana.
While in custody, Gamble told police that he is a local Boca Raton marijuana distributor and sells approximately 1/4 to 1 pound of marijuana daily. Gamble told police that he distributes to students at FAU and also distributes to many people in the Boca Raton area.
Gamble says that when he is really busy, he earns approximately $1,000 a day, according to FAU police.
According to police, Gamble says he carries the firearm for protection based on his marijuana distribution which he states " is dangerous."
Gamble was charged with possession of marijuana under 20 grams, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of a fraudulent driver's license and carrying a concealed firearm during the commission of a felony. He was booked into the Palm Beach County Jail.
