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Cops seize load of pot near Salmo

Traffic stop nets hundreds of pounds of cannabis
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A routine traffic stop last week turned into a major pot bust for West Kootenay RCMP.

“On December 5, 2019, an officer with Southeast District Traffic Services stopped a pickup/trailer combination on Highway 3 near Salmo, BC, for a suspected driver’s licence infraction,” says a police news release.

“Upon speaking with the two men in the pickup, the officer formed sufficient grounds to arrest both men for Possession for the Purpose of Trafficking.”

A subsequent search of the pickup and trailer yielded over 350 pounds (158 kilograms) of cannabis in vacuum-sealed bags.

“While cannabis possession, production, distribution and sale has been legalized, the quantity, the manner in which it is packaged, the way it may be distributed and sold remains strictly regulated by law,” the police release notes.

“The production, distribution and sale of illegal cannabis actually hurts our economy as it permits criminals to avoid paying taxes which support many government programs on which people rely every day.”

The pickup and trailer have been seized and the men, both from the West Kootenays, were released on a promise to appear for a future court date as the investigation continues.

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RCMP released this photograph of the confiscated cannabis. Submitted photo.