Police said three men arrested after officers seized fake pieces of gold and platinum following a Saskatchewan traffic stop may be involved in suspicious sales in three Prairie provinces.
Members of the Broadview combined traffic services were on patrol Saturday morning on Highway 1 when they stopped an eastbound vehicle for excessive speeding.
A check of the three men in the vehicle found that one had a warrant out for his arrest.
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Officers then searched the vehicle and said they found a large amount of cash and what appeared to be 32 pieces of gold and platinum with a street value between $50,000 and $100,000.
It was later determined that the precious metals were counterfeit and the three men were the suspects in several suspicious pawn transactions.
Police said they are actively investigating the sales complaints in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba.
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Two Ontario men, Richard Blokhorstm, 25, and Mitchell Pye, 26, are charged with possession of stolen property over $5,000.
A third man, Michael Richards, 30, who is from Nova Scotia, is charged with possession of stolen property over $5,000 and possession of counterfeit money.
The trio have been released from custody and are scheduled to appear in Broadview provincial court on Jan. 25, 2017.
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