Officers confiscated a large quantity of drugs, cash and weapons after a routine traffic stop earlier in April. (Nanaimo RCMP)

By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

arrests made

Routine traffic stop leads to seizure of drugs, weapons and cash

Apr 24, 2023 | 9:11 AM

NANAIMO — An astute Mountie’s knowledge of the local drug trade led to a significant seizure.

An officer on routine patrol noticed a white Toyota Tacoma with no front plate on Tuesday, April 18 at around 2 a.m. and made a traffic stop on Departure Bay Rd. near Uplands Dr.

Secondary checks revealed the vehicle was uninsured.

Reserve Cst. Gary O’Brien told NanaimoNewsNOW the officer on scene was able to make a quick determination which led to the bust and charges against three people.

“Because of the fact he knows who’s working on the streets, who’s involved in the drug culture, he identified all three occupants and one that actually had outstanding warrants.”

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More officers were called to help with the search.

A large quantity of dangerous items were found, Cst. O’Brien said.

Inside the vehicle was a large hunting knife, a collapsible baton, an unloaded semi-automatic pistol grip shotgun, ammunition, face masks, zap straps and other items police commonly link to violent crime.

Several cell phones were also confiscated.

The 38-year-old driver had a “large quantity” of pills as well as several hundred dollars in cash. He was arrested and faces a charge of drug possession for the purpose of trafficking.

Two passengers, a 27-year-old man and a 21-year-old woman, were also arrested and face a range of drug and weapons charges.

All three were released at the scene and will be due in court in early September.

O’Brien said it’s not uncommon for officers to release individuals ahead of court proceedings.

“There’s a lot of work required to get these charges before the courts, they have to gather expert evidence, they’ve got to analyze the drugs, they have to pull in witness evidence from various sources and only then can they put together a succinct report and get it to Crown so they can make an informed decision on what charges to go ahead with.”

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