Drugs, firearms and cash were seized by Manitoba RCMP after an investigation that started with a pair of suspects from Winnipeg trying to board a bus in Thompson, Man.
The Thompson RCMP detachment was called by employees at a bus company Monday morning, and told that during a search of the men’s bags prior to boarding, a loaded magazine was found, and that the passengers were also armed with a handgun.
The two men took off with the bags before police arrived, and a search of the area led officers to find the bags at a business on Thompson Drive North, although the suspects had disappeared.
Inside the bags, police said, was around 100 grams of a substance suspected to be cocaine, as well as illegal bear spray.
Two days later, a traffic stop by RCMP in the RM of Woodlands led to the discovery that two of the three occupants of the vehicle, which had been travelling on Highway 6, were the suspects in the Thompson firearm incident.
In a search of the vehicle, police seized additional drugs and a large amount of cash. The three men in the vehicle, all from Winnipeg, were arrested.
Two of the men, 23 and 24, were each handed charges of possession for the purpose of trafficking and possessing property obtained by crime. The 24-year-old was released with an upcoming court date, while the 23-year-old remains behind bars.
The other suspect, 20, has been charged with a length list of offences, including carrying a concealed weapon, possession for the purpose of trafficking, possessing a weapon for a dangerous purpose, possessing a weapon contrary to an order, and possessing property obtained by crime.
He also remains in custody.