Nanaimo RCMP arrested three people, including a dangerous offender wanted on outstanding firearm warrants, and seized drugs and weapons during a routine traffic stop last week.
RCMP pulled over the pickup truck on April 18 on Departure Bay Road after noticing it had no front licence plate and, after a further check, no insurance.
The three occupants were identified as being “active in the local drug trade,” RCMP said in a statement.
Officers initially observed a large hunting knife and a collapsible baton inside the vehicle.
The driver, 38, was found to be in possession of a large quantity of unknown pills and several hundred dollars in Canadian cash and was arrested.
Inside the truck, RCMP found a large tool bag containing a tactical semi-automatic shotgun that wasn’t loaded, face masks, zip ties and other items commonly used in violent crimes and “drug rips,” said RCMP. A “drug rip” is when a drug dealer is robbed.
Another bag was also found that contained multiple cellphones, a baseball bat and more suspected illegal pills.
The two passengers, a 27-year-old man and a 21-year-old woman, were arrested for possession for the purpose of trafficking and unauthorized possession of a prohibited weapon.
The 27-year-old man was also arrested on multiple outstanding warrants for unauthorized possession of a firearm.
The three were later released pending a court appearance set for Sept. 5 in Nanaimo.
Reserve Const. Gary O’Brien of the Nanaimo RCMP said it’s not uncommon suspects to be released on undertakings to appear in court at a later date “in situations where a large quantity of unknown drugs, various prohibited weapons and multiple offenders are involved.”
“This affords the investigators time to analyze the evidence, gather expert evidence, prepare their reports and then forward their findings to Crown for charge approval,” he said.
