On September 4, 2024, at approximately 12:25 pm, officers from the RCMP Roving Traffic Unit conducted a routine traffic stop on an eastbound commercial vehicle traveling on Highway 1 in the Rural Municipality of Portage la Prairie. The stop quickly escalated into a significant drug bust when officers discovered approximately 600 kilograms of illicit cannabis during a load inspection.
The driver, a 65-year-old male from Toronto, was promptly arrested and is now facing multiple charges under the Cannabis Act, Excise Act, and Liquor, Gaming and Cannabis Control Act.
Inspector Michael Gagliardi, Officer in Charge of RCMP Traffic Services, emphasized the importance of enforcing laws against illicit cannabis. “We continue to enforce the laws against illicit cannabis as its possession is a criminal offence and is an issue of public safety,” said Gagliardi. “Anyone purchasing illicit cannabis does not know where it came from or what it could be cut with. Often, illicit cannabis is associated with organized crime and all the other criminal elements that entails.”
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