A teenage taxi passenger was found with a gun, knives and drugs after a routine stop.
The private hire taxi, carrying a 17-year-old boy, was pulled over by police on Liverpool Road in Huyton shortly after 1am on Saturday morning.
Officers searched the taxi and discovered a bag that contained cannabis resin, scales, cash and two terrifying kitchen knives.
A quantity of white powder was then found on the teen who was travelling to an unknown destination at the time of the search.
After the taxi was stopped police then search a house in Prescot where more cannabis and a 'pen gun' were found.
A spokesperson for Merseyside Police said: "A male has been arrested and a firearm, knives and drugs recovered after a routine vehicle stop in Huyton.
"A 17-year-old male from Prescot was arrested on suspicion of possession of a Section 1 firearm, possession with intent to supply Class B drugs (cannabis), possession of a Class A drug (cocaine) and possession of a bladed article. He has been released under investigation."
Chief Inspector Phil Mullally said: “Every stop check and arrest we make should serve as a reminder to criminals that we will not stand by and allow them to bring crime to our communities.
“Anyone intent on carrying and storing knives and firearms needs to know that we will continue to use a range of tactics to stop them, catch them and bring them to justice.
“Every drug, knife and firearm we seize hits criminals where it hurts by restricting their ability to fund and carry out their violent and often exploitative criminal activity.”
Chief Inspector Mullally added: “While we are devoting officers and staff from across the force to stopping criminals, the public play a crucial role in telling us what they are up to and where they are operating.
“If you know where guns, knives and drugs are being stored or where criminals are operating, please let us know so we can stop them from causing harm in our communities.”
We will continue our crackdown on serious and organised crime and anyone with information is encouraged to contact @MerPolCC, call 101 or you can contact the independent charity @CrimestoppersUK on 0800 555 111.
