During a sobriety checkpoint held last weekend at Fairfield Hills, police stopped a vehicle to check on whether the driver was under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs and then found approximately five pounds of marijuana in the vehicle’s trunk, resulting in the arrest of the vehicle’s five occupants on several drug charges, according to police Lieutenant Christopher Vanghele.

On the night of Saturday, November 22, police had set up the checkpoint on Wasserman Way at its intersection with Trades Lane.

At 8:39 pm, police stopped a vehicle which had five occupants. Police said that motorist Jason Sosa, 20, of Danbury was not wearing a seatbelt and that a strong odor of marijuana was coming from the vehicle.

Police said they had Sosa pull the vehicle off the road for further investigation, after which a search uncovered a duffle bag within the trunk that contained about five pounds of marijuana.

Police said they also found materials in the vehicle used for the weighing and packaging of marijuana.

Following their probe, police charged all five occupants with illegal manufacture, distribution or sale of a controlled substance; possession of drug paraphernalia; and possession of more than four ounces of marijuana.

Charged with those offenses were Sosa; Christian Cardenas, 20, of Bridgewater; Gustavo Fonseca-DeOliveira, 18, of Danbury; Johnny Zaruma, 19, of Danbury, and a male under age 18, police said.

Police released Sosa, Cardenas, Fonseca-DeOliveira, and Zaruma each on $10,000 bail for December 9 appearances in Danbury Superior Court. The juvenile was released on a written promise to appear on December 8 in Danbury Juvenile Court.

During the checkpoint, which ran into the early morning hours of Sunday, November 23, police stopped approximately 500 vehicles.

Other violations included: one infraction for possession of less than one-half ounce of marijuana, five infractions for possession of alcohol by a minor, two warnings for failure to wear a seatbelt, and 21 warnings for miscellaneous motor vehicle violations.

During the coming holiday season police will conduct roving patrols in seeking intoxicated drivers.

A state highway safety grant covers 75 percent of the police overtime costs for DUI enforcement projects including checkpoints and roving patrols.