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Cocaine, pot found in vehicles Separate highway stops result in charges, seizure of 1.13 kg of marijuana, 269 grams of crackMyles Dolphin Northern News Services Published Monday, November 19, 2012
That morning, a routine traffic stop turned into a drug investigation at the junction of Highways 2 and 5 near Enterprise. The Hay River RCMP police dog section assisted with the investigation and as a result, 1.13 kilograms of marijuana were seized. A 48-year-old man from Fort Resolution and a 44-year-old man from Edgerton, Alta., were arrested and are facing charges of possession of marijuana for the purpose of trafficking. Not long after, police officers stopped a second vehicle nearby and, based on information received, carried out a second drug investigation. This yielded 269 grams of crack cocaine. A 19-year-old man from Edmonton and a 30-year-old man from Hay River were arrested and will face several charges, including possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking, and possession of a deadly weapon. All four men are scheduled to appear in court on Jan. 14 in Hay River. Police say both investigations are ongoing. "Drug seizures of this size will have an effect on reduction of incidents of assaults, thefts and other crimes," an RCMP news release stated. "These crimes can often be activities resulting from drug abuse and addictions or to facilitate the purchase of drugs." Hay River RCMP Sgt. Chad Orr said drug enforcement has been identified as a priority in Hay River, and hopes for more success in the future by continuing to work with the community. One of the organizations assisting the RCMP in the war on drugs is the Hay River Drug Free Zone Committee. Member Kevin Wallington said the arrests are encouraging, and that every approach has to be taken to continue addressing this issue. "You look at the American war on drugs, and on a smaller scale, we face a similar thing," he said. "We have this reduced area, like a bottleneck, where drugs can come through going either north or south. Within the community, we've seen what drugs are doing to Hay River. "There is another society that lies under the one we see, and that ugliness has a lot to do with drugs and addictions."
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