A man in Nanaimo was caught packing drugs in his underwear.
On November 21st at around 10:00 am, Nanaimo RCMP stopped a so-called “suspicious-looking vehicle” circling the downtown core. This led police to find drugs, cash and weapons in the car.
The 46-year-old man behind the wheel, who was already wanted for Break and Enter and Uttering Threats, was arrested right away and his car was towed.
A search of his clothing found several grams of suspected fentanyl and methamphetamine. There was also $700 in Canadian cash. And, in addition to the drugs already seized, police later discovered 50 jeweller bags of suspected meth stuffed in his underwear.
Further investigation led police to find a black replica Beretta CO2 firearm under the front seat, which Constable Gary O’Brien says was easily within reach of the driver. There were also two large knives on the back seat.
“Thankfully, it did not come into play during this vehicle check,” he says. “This was an excellent pro-active vehicle stop by a front line officer, who acted on his police instincts and it paid off.”
From time to time, O’Brien says police come across people carrying or pointing replica firearms. He says officers really don’t have the time to figure out if it’s real or not.
“An authentic-looking replica firearm will always be treated as real and may tragically result in real-life consequences,” O’Brien adds.
The driver was released and the investigation is ongoing. He could be facing charges of Possession of a Controlled Substance, but police say there won’t be any charges stemming from the replica firearm or knives.
