Police in Hay River say a vehicle pulled over for an expired licence plate was subsequently found to have been stolen in Ontario.
RCMP said the two occupants were arrested on Wednesday after an investigation revealed the vehicle, described as a “high-value luxury brand,” was suspected of being linked to organized crime.
RCMP spokesperson Cst Josh Seaward said searches were conducted of the vehicle and hotel room the driver had rented. He said officers seized more than $2,000 in cash, “several luxury-brand watches and other goods as well as drug paraphernalia.”
“Approximately 248 grams of an unknown powdered substance was seized from the vehicle, the analysis of which is pending,” Seaward wrote in an email on Friday.
While one occupant was released without charge, the other – identified by police as 22-year-old Stanley Letcher of Fort Simpson – was said by RCMP to face charges of possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000, operating a vehicle without valid registration, operating a vehicle without a valid driver’s licence, and failure to wear a seatbelt.
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RCMP said Letcher was released from custody and will appear in court at a later date.
“The investigation remains ongoing with assistance from Toronto Police Service and Alberta RCMP’s Auto Theft Unit,” police stated.
