Police found approximately $100,000 of expensive hard liquor in a parked van in Revelstoke, Oct. 27, 2021.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED/RCMP
November 02, 2021 - 2:25 PM
Approximately $11,000 in apparent Canadian currency, small quantities of suspected cocaine and fentanyl, and an estimated $100,000 of expensive, high-quality hard liquor purchased in Alberta were discovered in a van by police last week.
The van was parked in an overnight parking area reserved for commercial vehicles near Revelstoke, Oct. 27, according to an RCMP media release.
It was checked by officers with the B.C. Highway Patrol at 11:50 p.m., who discovered the seats behind the driver were removed and the Toyota minivan was filled up with boxes covered by a blanket.
The occupants of the vehicle — a couple from Calgary who were discovered to be subjects of prior criminal activity in the Lower Mainland — were arrested and provided access to legal counsel, RCMP said.
It was determined the amount of liquor far exceeded personal use, and police believe the couple have transported large quantities of liquor into the province before, with the intent to avoid B.C. liquor taxes and then re-sell the liquor to illegal casinos or private purchasers in the Lower Mainland area, police said.
"The mandate of (B.C. Highway Patrol's Traffic Safety Unit and Police Dog Service) is to conduct high-volume traffic safety enforcement and, often, intelligence-led policing results in the interruption, interdiction and apprehension of traveling criminals," Officer in Charge of BCHP’s Special Traffic Operations Insp. Dale Carr said in the release.
"Frequently, investigators will find wanted persons, stolen property, drugs, weapons, cash and other contraband. By removing these individuals from our highways and disrupting their activity, we prevent this type of criminal behaviour from continuing and it is one of many ways we are making our highways safer together."
Both individuals were released pending further investigation. Anyone with information regarding this incident may contact B.C. Highway Patrol's Special Traffic Operations at 604-539-2729 and quote file SED: 2100: 2021-5275.
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