Northern News Services

Yellowknife (June 03/05) - RCMP are praising a group of kids who turned in a container of crack cocaine they found floating in the Mackenzie River last week.

The container was found near the Happy Valley Campground and handed over to the Inuvik RCMP on Tuesday, May 24.

"Obviously somebody stashed their goodies in the woods and when the river rose, it floated away," said Inuvik RCMP Staff Sgt. Sid Gray.

"Kids found it when they were walking beside the channel and they turned it into us."

Gray would not go into detail as to the amount of drugs in the container, other than to say it was "substantial."

He said he was grateful to those who turned it in.

"A lot of the credit goes to the kids and their parents," he said, adding that the drugs are now safely off the streets thanks to them.

As to how or why such an item would be stashed in the bush, Gray could only speculate.

"I guess the dealers figure it's safer to stash (the drugs) outside the house," he said.

"If they want to come to our 'lost and found,' we'd be more than happy to talk to them."

The RCMP are continuing their investigation into the matter.

Anyone with information related to this incident is asked to contact the Inuvik RCMP or Crime Stoppers.