Police Stop Nets Hash Oil, Pot Headed for Montauk

Southampton Town police said they arrested a man in Bridgehampton on Saturday who had been on his way to Montauk with a pound of marijuana, 300 vials of hash oil, about five pounds of concentrated cannabis gel, and assorted marijuana-laced edible items.

Officers in the police department's community response unit were focusing on pedestrian safety enforcement when one of them noticed a driver talking on a cell phone while heading east on Montauk Highway near School Street just before 7:30 p.m.

The officer stopped Christopher Jennings Jr., 36, of Northport, who was driving a 2005 Ford sport utility vehicle. When the officer approached the S.U.V., he noticed a strong odor of marijuana coming from inside, police said.

The officer said he saw "a clear plastic vial containing a brownish liquid that he recognized to be consistent with 'concentrated cannabis'," a controlled substance, police said in a press release. The suspicious substance was tested in the field and tested positive, police said.

Officers searched the S.U.V. and allegedly found far more. Recovered in the bust were 300 vials of liquid concentrated cannabis, 16 ounces of fresh marijuana, two canisters containing nearly five pounds of concentrated cannabis gel, which, police said, is used in baked goods, and 150 pre-made and individually packaged marijuana-laced edible goods, which police likened to homemade Rice Krispy treats. They also reportedly found $1,350 cash and nearly 100 other pieces of manufacturing, processing, and packaging paraphernalia. The S.U.V. and the cash were seized for possible forfeiture.

Mr. Jennings was charged with criminal possession of marijuana in the second degree, criminal possession of a controlled substance in the fourth degree, criminal possession of a controlled substance in the fifth degree, all felonies, and criminal possession of a controlled substance in the seventh degree, a misdemeanor. He was held overnight for arraignment in Southampton Town Justice Court on Sunday morning. Additional charges are expected, according to police.

Southampton Town police community response unit had been assigned to Bridgehampton Main Street in response to complaints about the lack of enforcement in the area. Officers focused on vehicles yielding for pedestrians in crosswalks, jaywalking, and distracted drivers, the department said.

The Bridgehampton Citizens Advisory Committee has been expressing concern about the lack of enforcement at its meetings in recent months. The C.A.C. and town officials are working on ways to increase pedestrian safety, and they are expected to revisit the issue at its next meeting, on Monday.