On May 19, members of the Southeast District Roving Traffic Unit and Clearwater General Duty section were conducting a road check on Highway 5 in Little Fort when at approximately 1:30 p.m. they stopped a vehicle which resulted in the seizure of five pounds of marijuana bud from a Drayton Valley, Alberta, man.
When the driver failed to produce a driver’s license he was asked to pull to the side for a further check. While dealing with the issue the officer noted several indicators, including the smell of burnt marijuana, and therefore detained the driver and passenger. A police service dog was deployed which gave a positive indication for drugs. The subjects were arrested and a search located five pounds of marijuana in half pound vacuum-sealed packages.
The 42-year-old driver claimed he had a Health Canada permit to possess marijuana but could not produce it. Members are following up with Health Canada but from a statement obtained from the male he had over twice as much in his possession as his license permits. The passenger, a 23-year-old male, claimed to be just a hitchhiker, and police are investigating the claim.
Clearwater RCMP Cpl. Newel said, “Highway 5 is a main interprovincial roadway leading to northern Alberta and areas beyond. Over the last few years a large number of marijuana seizures have been made from persons transporting illegal contraband on this road. In the last six weeks there have been three significant seizures totaling 28 pounds of marijuana. This equates to over 25,000 marijuana joints.”
The subjects are facing charges of Possession of a Controlled Substance for the Purpose of Trafficking and will appear in court in Clearwater, July 21.
Article courtesy of the Clearwater RCMP.