A traffic stop in Tustin led to the arrest of a Maserati driver with nearly 90 canisters of nitrous oxide in the car, police said.
An officer pulled the car over in a parking lot near Red Hill Avenue and El Camino Real on Wednesday, Aug. 27, Tustin police Lt. Sarah Fetterling said.
A photo shared by the department showed colorful boxes and canisters stacked in the passenger seat and spilling onto the driver’s seat. Officers seized 86 canisters of nitrous oxide, she said.
During the traffic stop, the officer saw the driver “adjusting” the inhalants, according to Fetterling.
The driver was arrested. The grounds for the arrest were not immediately available.
What led the officer to pull over the driver also was not provided.
In California, it is a misdemeanor to possess or be under the influence of nitrous oxide, which is sometimes misused as an intoxicating inhalant.
Earlier this year, the Food and Drug Administration issued an advisory warning of the adverse health effects of nitrous oxide use. Among the potential dangers are asphyxiation, blood clots, psychiatric issues such as hallucinations or paranoia, paralysis, neurological damage, and even death.