Police recover stolen gun, drugs outside North Charleston hotel

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD) – A gun that can be modified into a fully automatic weapon was seized Tuesday outside a North Charleston hotel.

Officers from the North Charleston Police Department were conducting a routine patrol in the parking lot of the Aloft Hotel on Tanger Outlets Boulevard when they noticed a suspicious vehicle parked behind the building.

While approaching the vehicle, officers reported that they had detected the smell of marijuana. They spoke with the person inside the vehicle and then conducted a search based on probable cause.

The officers found marijuana and a firearm inside.

“Upon inspection, they found that the gun had two different serial numbers, one of which indicated that it had been reported stolen from Atlanta, Georgia,” NCPD said.

Officers also noted a modification on the gun, which they said had a switching mechanism that converts the weapon to fully automatic.

The gun was seized for further examination, according to the agency.