Maybe what the war on drugs needs is just more traffic laws.
Bad driving habits on the part of alleged drug dealers have led to Mounties in Banff National Park seizing nearly 100 lbs of pot and $20,000 in cash in just two days, police said Wednesday.
Sharp-eyed Mounties made the hauls in three separate traffic stops, which were all sparked by drivers not wearing seatbelts and other traffic infractions, and all took place near the popular resort village of Lake Louise, police said.
It was an unbuckled seatbelt that prompted a vigilant Mountie to pull over a vehicle along the Trans-Canada Highway near Lake Louise on Monday, only to find the passenger, who was wanted by police in Calgary, was allegedly hauling more than 20 lbs of marijuana and $20,000 in cash, said RCMP Traffic Services.
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Dumb Crime 2012
Mounties found another 60 lbs of pot when, later that day, they pulled over a second vehicle in the area, also for a traffic infraction.
Then, on Tuesday, a separate traffic stop led Mounties to nab a man wanted by Lethbridge police and who was also allegedly carrying 14 lbs of weed in the vehicle.
“To conduct a routine traffic stop and seize a significant amount of marijuana once in a day is a good thing,” said Superintendent Howard Eaton, Officer-in-Charge of Traffic Services.
“To do it three times in two days – that’s a real win in terms of reducing crime and taking drugs off the streets.”
The busts combined will have a significant effect in the supply of the drug in the area, said police, citing that 100 lbs of cannabis can yield as many as 150,000 joints.
Spencer Eroshinsky, 42, and Cory Schmidt, 23, both of Calgary, are charged with possession for the purpose of trafficking, and other criminal code charges.
Shu Oi Chi, 37, of Vancouver, and Brian Payne, 29, of Nipawin, Sask., are both charged with possession for the purpose of trafficking.