Roving Traffic Unit nabs couple for drug trafficking twice in 8 days
By Trail Champion
On Sept. 3, an officer with the Roving Traffic Unit stopped a vehicle for a traffic violation on Hwy 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, over $11,300 in currency and evidence of drug trafficking was 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 Hwy 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.
Trail RCMP top cop Sgt. Mike Wicentowich said names will not be released until official charges are sworn.
Drug trafficking is a concern in many communities in BC and these two incidents demonstrate the commitment of officers from BC RCMP Traffic Services’ Roving Traffic Unit to keep our roads safe and disrupt criminal activity where it occurs. Thank you to officers from Trail Detachment that assisted with the first incident. Anyone with information about drug trafficking in their community may call their local police or Crimestoppers if you wish to remain anonymous at 1-800-222-8477.
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