A student at Nansemond Suffolk Academy was charged with possession of marijuana after a routine drug search was conducted in the school Tuesday afternoon.

The student, 18-year-old Joshua Mullen was arrested Tuesday and charged with possession of marijuana after the Suffolk Police Department’s Special Investigation Team found the drug in Mullen’s car.

The sweep was part of a routine partnership NSA has with the police department, according to Tracie Thorndike, community relations coordinator for the school.

“Periodically, we have the dogs and police come down to our school to help us prevent drug use,” Thorndike said.

On Tuesday, members of the Special Investigation Team and Canine Unit assisted the school’s administration in searching for narcotics, according to Debbie George, the city’s communication director. Officers searched in the buildings and in the school’s parking lot.

While searching the parking lot, canines alerted police to the odor of drugs at 25 different vehicles. One of those vehicles was Mullen’s, and, upon further investigation, drugs were found inside the vehicle.

Drugs were not found in any of the other alerted vehicles, but George said, “Canines alert on the odor of what is there or what was there previously.”

In a letter home to parents, NSA Head of School Colley Bell wrote that while the incident “may be unsettling,” staff at NSA are dedicated to creating the best educational environment for students.

“We will continue to be vigilant in our efforts to uphold the values that are inherent in the NSA experience,” he wrote.