HAY RIVER - A Hay River man is facing a number of charges following the seizure of what police are calling a "substantial" amount of marijuana.

According to the RCMP, police officers found pot, an undisclosed amount of cash and two prohibited weapons following a search of a residence in Rowe's Trailer Court on Jan. 21.

Alcide Morris Gagnon, 34, has been charged with possession of a controlled substance for the purpose of trafficking, possession of proceeds of crime, and possession of prohibited weapons – one charge for brass knuckles and another for a stun gun.

Gagnon was released from police custody and is scheduled to appear in court on March 17.

Cpl. Mike Carter of the RCMP declined to provide exact amounts of marijuana or money seized.

"We're dealing with more than a simple possession case here," he said.

Carter said the RCMP's search warrant was not the result of a tip from the public, but was rather a result of the police force's investigative techniques.

"It was a suspected drug-trafficking residence and we conducted surveillance of the residence," he said.

Police had previously noticed unusual traffic at the residence, Carter said.

"This was observed over time."

The corporal said, while drug traffickers often have weapons in their residences for protection, it is the first time police have found a stun gun in a suspected drug house in Hay River.

"It's a form of a Taser," he said of the stun gun. "It's a battery-operated device that discharges an electric current. It's designed to inflict pain."

Carter said police have previously seen brass knuckles in the possession of drug traffickers.