Motorist arrested after Des Plaines traffic stop yields bag of pot

A motorist was arrested Thursday after Des Plaines police found about a half-kilogram of marijuana in the SUV he was driving, far more than allowed by state law, authorities said.

Kevin Daniels, 40, of the 7400 block of South Ingleside Avenue in Chicago, had the drug in a gallon-sized plastic bag, police said in a news release.

Police stopped Daniels in a tan Ford SUV about 1:40 a.m. Thursday because he was driving east in the westbound lanes of Lee Street near Elk Boulevard, the release said.

An officer spotted the bag of marijuana in the rear passenger area. It contained 502 grams of pot, a police spokesman said.

Recreational cannabis users are permitted to have up to 30 grams of the drug under state law. Additionally, there are rules for traveling with cannabis in a car.

Daniels was charged with possession of more than 100 grams of cannabis and possession of cannabis in the passenger area of a motor vehicle by a driver, and he was ticketed for driving the wrong way on a divided highway.