Vehicle pulled over in Nanaimo, B.C. full of drugs, weapons, cash, masks

Three people were arrested after being pulled over in Nanaimo, B.C. last week with a variety of drugs, weapons and crime accessories in tow.

According to RCMP, the white Toyota Tacoma contained a large hunting knife, a collapsible baton, a baseball bat, and an unloaded semi-automatic pistol grip shotgun.

Officers who searched it also found a large quantity of unknown pills, several hundred dollars, and other items used in “drug rips” and violent crime, such as cell phones, face masks and zap straps.

The vehicle was pulled over around 2 a.m. on April 18 in the 4000-block of Departure Bay Road. It had no front license plate and no insurance.

The 38-year-old driver, 27-year-old male passenger and 21-year-old female passenger were arrested for possession for the purpose of trafficking and unauthorized possession of a prohibited weapon. The 27-year-old had multiple outstanding warrants for unauthorized possession of a firearm as well, RCMP said in a Monday news release.

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All three suspects were released with conditions. They are set to appear in court on Sept. 5.

“In situations where a large quantity of unknown drugs, various prohibited weapons and multiple offenders are involved, it is not uncommon for officers to release the suspects on Undertakings that compel them to appear in court at a later date,” said Reserve Const. Gary O’Brien in the release.

“This affords the investigators time to analyze the evidence, gather expert evidence, prepare their reports and then, forward their findings to Crown for charge approval.”