Police pull over speeding driver, charge 3 people after seizing loaded handgun, drugs

Three people face multiple charges after police stopped a vehicle speeding at 159 km/h in a 110 km/h zone and discovered a loaded handgun and various amounts of drugs.

The incident occurred on April 12, 2022 at 2:30 p.m. when a Morse RCMP officer observed a white car travelling on Highway 1 speeding. The vehicle came to a halt after the officer activated their emergency equipment.

After an investigation, officers conducted a search of the vehicle and located and seized various amounts of suspected oxycodone, morphine, methadone, codeine and cocaine.

“Our police officers aren’t just reactive — they are proactive,” stated Sgt. James Flynn, detachment commander of the Morse RCMP.

“In this case, the officer was conducting a proactive highway safety patrol when he observed this speeding vehicle.”

As a result of the stop, drugs and a loaded weapon were seized.

Officers arrested and charged Matthew O’Connor of Winnipeg and two individuals from Calgary: Mustafa Saeed and Mujahid Babekir.

Police had located the loaded handgun in 21-year-old O’Connor’s jacket pocket and through investigation, deemed he did not hold an appropriate licence or certificate to possess it.

O’Connor faces 11 charges such as possession of a restricted firearm for a purpose dangerous to the public peace and four counts of possession of a substance for the purpose of trafficking.

Twenty-one-year-old Saeed and 22-year-old Babekir are both charged with four counts each of possession of a substance for the purpose of trafficking. Babekir also received tickets for speeding and not possessing a valid driver’s licence.

RCMP stated that all three have appeared in court and were remanded into custody to appear in Swift Current Provincial Court on April 20.

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