Yellowknife (July 14/06) - Human error is at the bottom of a drug bust fiasco, according to police.

On May 2, police reported a "substantial" drug seizure from a house on Trails End, just off 43rd Street in Yellowknife.

But the 3,886 grams of white powder found by officers - potentially worth almost $400,000 in drugs - was not cocaine or any other illegal substance, said Const. Colleen Werrell.

"Investigators had received an analysis back that tested positive for cocaine, but they associated it with (the Trails End) file, when it, in fact, belongs to another file."

All charges for the two people implicated in the bust have been stayed.

Adrian Bilodeau, 37, and Faye Grandjambe, 21, had been charged with possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking, along with possessing marijuana.

Bilodeau said he feels the RCMP unfairly targeted him in the arrest.

"Where am I going to get the money for that much coke?" he said, adding that he has been unemployed and broke for months.

The man has an extensive criminal record, including drug offenses, but denies that he is drug dealer.

Police realized the mistake when they received the negative test results early this week, said Werrell.

The three bags of white powder found in various parts of the house, now identified as a substance commonly used to dilute the purity of cocaine, were field tested at the scene.

Police thought the powder was a type of drug because one of the bags came up positive for cocaine.

Lab results showed the test on the bag of powder was a false-positive.

Werrell said there were trace amounts of the drug found which could have happened if the bag had come into contact with cocaine at some point.

Residents at Trail's End have complained to Yellowknifer for months about drug-related activities at the house. Police had also been to the home before.

Bilodeau said after his arrest, a police officer visited his cell to tell him neighbours in Trails End have been complaining about drug trafficking at his residence and were pressuring police to make an arrest.

He said he was shocked when police told him they found 8.5lbs of cocaine in his house.

When he made contact with an arresting officer, he said he was told he was going to do "six to ten years" in prison for the cocaine.

Bilodeau admitted there were often drinking parties at the house, calling his neighbours a bunch of "do-gooders." He said one neighbour across the street even had video camera trained on his house.

Since his arrest, Bilodeau said he has been evicted from his home, and social services workers have threatened to take permanent custody of his two-year-old son, who is currently in foster care.

The house is now unoccupied and the power has been cut off, he said.

"What do I do now?" he asked. "Where am I supposed to go?"

Bilodeau said he was released from jail Wednesday with no explanation other than that the charges against him had been dropped.

Werrell said Bilodeau was kept in the North Slave Correctional Facility beginning May 22 until this Wednesday for an aggravated assault and uttering threats charges, not because of the drug charges.

The decision to put Bilodeau in jail was made by the courts because of the violent nature of the assault charges, said Werrell.

Those charges were also stayed.