Nanaimo proved no safe harbour for a man allegedly carrying a kilogram of cocaine when he got off a ferry.
Members of Nanaimo RCMP were waiting at the B.C. Ferries Departure Bay terminal Tuesday at about 7 p.m. when Roy Sambath Ban, 23, of Nanaimo, disembarked from a sailing from Horseshoe Bay.
Ban was arrested as he walked through the terminal's foot passenger area.
Const. Gary O'Brien, Nanaimo RCMP spokesman, said Ban had the cocaine stashed in a backpack, but would not say what the estimated street value of the drug is or how police knew Ban was carrying the drugs.
"It was intelligence-based," O'Brien said. "He was arrested without incident."
Ban appeared before a provincial court judge Wednesday charged with one count of possession for the purpose of trafficking.
He was scheduled to appear in Nanaimo Provincial Court again Thursday to determine if he would be released until his next court appearance.
O'Brien said the arrest and seizure of that amount of cocaine is a huge success for Nanaimo drug enforcement officers and would disrupt drug circles for some time.
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call Nanaimo RCMP at 250-754-2345 or contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or online at www.nanaimocrimestoppers.com.