RCMP traffic team seizes 20 kg of suspected cocaine, meth on Highway 7
KINDERSLEY — Saskatchewan RCMP say 20 kilograms of illegal drugs were seized after a vehicle was stopped on Highway 7 west of Kindersley last week.
A member of the Roving Traffic Unit pulled over a grey vehicle on Oct. 23 for a routine check of the driver’s licence, registration and sobriety. During the interaction, the officer began a drug investigation and detained the driver at the scene. A second RTU officer responded to assist.
Police service dog Salt was deployed to conduct a sniff around the vehicle. The dog indicated the presence of narcotics near the trunk area, RCMP said.
Officers arrested the driver and began searching the vehicle. They initially found four kilograms of suspected cocaine concealed in a hidden after-market compartment.
The vehicle was transported to the Kindersley RCMP detachment, where RTU officers — working with a specialist from the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit of British Columbia — finished opening the compartment.
Police say they uncovered an additional 15 kilograms of suspected cocaine and one kilogram of suspected crystal meth. Two cellphones and $830 in cash were also seized.
Russell Rosales, 27, of Vancouver, is charged with two counts of trafficking and two counts of possession for the purpose of trafficking, all under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act.
He was released on a Justice of the Peace order and is scheduled to appear in Kindersley provincial court on Dec. 16.
“It’s 20 kilograms of dangerous and addictive illegal drugs that will not make their way to the streets of Saskatchewan,” said Insp. Lee Knelsen, operations officer for RCMP Traffic Services.
“It’s also a significant amount of money that will not be supporting the activities of criminals in Saskatchewan. I commend our traffic officers for their vigilance while patrolling our roads and working closely with our local RCMP detachments to help keep Saskatchewan safe.”
The Saskatchewan Roving Traffic Unit is a mobile enforcement team that patrols highways with a dual mandate of traffic safety and criminal interdiction.