A local man and woman are facing drug trafficking charges when they were caught near Trail with cash and illicit drugs not once – but twice – by the same traffic unit.
The first case began Sept. 3 when an officer with the Roving Traffic Unit stopped a vehicle for a traffic violation on Highway 22 near Trail.
During the interaction with the two occupants, the officer became suspicious of their behaviour and detained the pair for a drug trafficking investigation and informed them of their rights.
The officer deployed his police service dog to the vehicle and the drug dog made a positive indication to the presence of odours it is trained to detect.
The two occupants, a man and woman from the local area, were arrested.
The vehicle was searched subsequent to the arrest and a significant quantity of suspected fentanyl, carfentanil and ketamine totalling over one kilogram were discovered.
More than $11,300 in currency and evidence of drug trafficking was also located and seized, along with the vehicle, a Ford F250 pickup.
The pair were later released on conditions with a future court date.
Fast forward to Sept. 11.
The same officer was assisting at a road check on Highway 3B in Trail when another officer alerted him to a vehicle whose driver was issued a 24-hour driving prohibition for drug impairment.
The officer quickly recognized that the occupants of a rental vehicle were the same two people he had arrested for drug trafficking eight days prior.
In a scenario that played out almost exactly the same as the first instance, the officer detained the pair and deployed his drug dog which indicated to the odours of drugs it is trained to detect.
The pair were arrested, the rental vehicle searched and once again suspected methamphetamine and cocaine was found along with over $27,400 in cash.
The pair were released with charges expected at a later time.
Cpl. Mike Halskov says drug trafficking is a concern in many communities in B.C. and these two incidents demonstrate the commitment of officers from BC RCMP Traffic Services’ Roving Traffic Unit to keep roads safe and disrupt criminal activity where it occurs.
“Thank you to officers from Trail detachment that assisted with the first incident,” Halskov added.
Anyone with information about drug trafficking in their community is encouraged to call their local police detachment or Crime Stoppers at 1.800.222.8477 to remain anonymous.
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