Hay River (Apr 18/05) - One of Hay River's largest-ever single seizures of crack cocaine was made last week.

On April 14, 260 grams (9.3 ounces) of the drug were seized by the RCMP. It has an estimated street value of about $65,000.

Const. Michael Carter said, if put together, the crack cocaine would be about the size of a softball, enough for roughly 500 individual hits.

Acting on information it had received, the RCMP made the seizure after checking a man who had just arrived in town by bus.

Giovanni Christopher Loria, 22, of Surrey, B.C., has been charged with possession of drugs for the purpose of trafficking and breaching a court order.

Loria, who was remanded into custody until a show-cause hearing April 18, is expected to appear in territorial court in May.