Three people were charged in connection with the discovery of drugs and break-and-enter instruments in Markham early Tuesday morning.

At about 12:50 a.m., a York Regional Police officer was on duty parked on a sidestreet in the Steeles Avenue East and Leslie Street area when a vehicle entered the street and abruptly turned around, police spokesperson Const. Marina Orlovski said.

The car continued through a red light and turned westbound on to Steeles but police halted it at Fairway Heights Drive, she said.

When police approached the vehicle, marijuana could be smelled and two joints were seen in the centre console, she said.

Three people were arrested in connection with the pot and during a search of the car, police found two replica handguns under the passenger seat, marijuana, a butterfly knife and pepper spray.

Police also found a baseball bat, bolt cutters and bandannas, Const. Orlovski said.

Three men, two 20-year-olds from Toronto and a 19-year-old North York resident, are charged with possession of a controlled substance, two counts of possession of a restricted or prohibited weapon, carrying a concealed weapon, two counts of the unauthorized possession of a firearm in a vehicle, possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose and possession of break-in instruments.