Traffic stop in Northeast El Paso Leads to crack cocaine bust

A traffic stop in Northeast El Paso led to the arrest to two men, including one allegedly in possession of crack.

Police charged 23-year-old De Andre Markel Davenport, of El Paso, Texas, with ‘Manufacture of a Controlled Substance;” and 20-year-old Shuvon Darden, of Fort Bliss, Texas, with ‘Unlawful Carrying of a Weapon.’

A Fort Bliss spokesperson confirms Darden is a soldier stationed on post.

Officers in Northeast El Paso pulled Davenport over Saturday morning on the 5000 block of Alabama because the Nissan Maxima he was driving had a defective headlight.

Davenport told police that although he was driving, the car belonged to Darden. During the traffic stop, Darden told police there was a weapon in the vehicle. A complaint affidavit states the officers found the .45 handgun in plain sight in between the front passenger seat and the center console. The weapon was loaded, police said.

Darden told police his brother, Rashad Darden, gave him the gun about a year-and-a-half ago. Darden said he was not licensed to carry a weapon, according to a complaint affidavit obtained by ABC-7.

During the traffic stop, officers also discovered Davenport was allegedly in possession of 33 individual plastic bundles that contained crack cocaine.

Both men were booked into the El Paso County Jail. Records show Darden posted a $5,000 bond that same day. Davenport remains jailed.