Fireworks and a suspicious vehicle piqued Nanaimo police curiosity and led to arrests and the seizure of drugs and cash on the weekend.
The arrests came after a member of Nanaimo RCMP's Municipal Traffic Unit spotted illegal use of fireworks in a city park at about 9:30 p.m. Friday and then saw a vehicle without taillights leave the area.
The officer pulled the vehicle over and spotted a small amount of marijuana. A man and a woman inside the vehicle were arrested and a subsequent search turned up what police are describing as an amount of cash and drugs believed to be heroin, crystal meth, steroids and marijuana consistent with street-level trafficking.
The accused were already targeted as "priority offenders" by Nanaimo RCMP and were recognized by the officer who pulled them over.
Police are seeking charges of possession for the purpose of trafficking against a 21-year-old man and 44-year-old woman, both of Nanaimo, who were held in custody to appear in Nanaimo provincial court Tuesday (Oct. 27).
“The subjects are well known to police and have been the target of previous work by the Projects and Street Crime Units," said Supt. Mark Fisher, Nanaimo RCMP detachment commander, in a press release. "These charges will assist in ongoing local and provincial operations.”