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IQALUIT - A busy month of well-publicized busts has a few more people calling tips into the local detachment, according to RCMP Sgt. Kim Melenchuk.

A recent community meeting on public safety also sparked greater public feedback, he added.

The biggest haul in October was a seizure of 466 flats of beer from an Iqaluit warehouse.

The booze, which had a street value of approximately $56,000, was confiscated as evidence and will be destroyed, according to Melenchuk.

He called the find "one small step against bootlegging and alcoholism and things we're battling against in this community."

Local businessman and former city councillor Stuart Kennedy will appear in court on Jan. 5 in Iqaluit on charges of unlawful possession and unlawful sale of liquor in relation to the beer seizure from the warehouse.

Kennedy, who declined to comment, was a vocal member of an ad hoc group that opposed a new ban on bulk beer imports in 2005.

Prior to April 28, 2005, residents of Iqaluit could order directly from brewers in the south.

After the government shut down that practice, buyers were required to obtain a liquor permit and order from either a government-owned liquor warehouse or a southern retail outlet, increasing the cost.

Representatives of Nunavut's liquor management division contacted well-known retailers last year to remind them of the need for permits, according to a representative.

Other RCMP coups last month include eight small busts for marijuana under 30 grams, ecstasy, and single counts of selling liquor. The individuals charged in those incidents are expected to appear in court in early December.

In another instance, RCMP seized 42 bottles of liquor with a street value of $4,500 from a 25-year-old Iqaluit resident.

Melenchuk said residents are encouraged to contact the local detachment or Crime Stoppers with information on bootlegging and drugs or any other crimes.