Cedar City police arrested four men Wednesday morning following a traffic stop that led to the discovery of nitrous oxide and marijuana in their vehicle.

The incident occurred shortly before midnight on Tuesday when Cedar City Officer Clinton Andersen noticed a vehicle with Pennsylvania license plates failing to proceed through a green light after exiting Interstate 15 at Exit 57, according to Cedar City Sgt. Justin Ludlow.

Suspecting a potential issue, Andersen ran a check on the vehicle’s insurance and registration, which showed the car had no insurance. Consequently, the officer pulled over the driver near the intersection of Main Street and Old Highway 91.

“The officer observed them just sitting there for a long time,” Ludlow said. “He thought it was really weird.”

Upon instructing the driver to exit the vehicle, the officer smelt marijuana and called for a K-9 unit. The subsequent search of the vehicle and its occupants uncovered 53 grams of marijuana and 11 pressurized bottles of nitrous oxide.

In addition, law enforcement discovered multiple small empty containers suspected to be drug paraphernalia intended for the distribution of narcotics, Ludlow said.

“It’s rare for officers to find nitrous oxide,” he said. “Usually dealers will charge someone around $20 to take a whiff and it gets them high. It’s laughing gas.”

According to the probable cause statement, the individuals were also found to be in possession of large amounts of cash, ranging from $437 to $2,060, totaling $4,281.

Cedar City Police called in the Iron-Beaver-Garfield Counties Narcotics Task Force and the State Bureau of Investigation for assistance.

All four occupants were detained, questioned, and later booked into the Iron County Jail. The vehicle and its contents were seized as evidence.

According to statements made by Priest, the driver of the vehicle, the group was on their way home from a trip to Las Vegas.

The individuals apprehended were Wilson Priest, 29, Marquel Clinger, 23, Andrew Coaxum Wilson, 30, and Christophe Batista, 34. Clinger is reported to be from Pottstown, Pennsylvania, while the remaining three were New York City residents.

Each of the men were charged with two counts of possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute, a third-degree felony, and one count of possession of drug paraphernalia, a class B misdemeanor.