Source: Royal Canadian Mounted Police
On October 30th, Hay River RCMP Officers conducted a traffic stop on a high-value luxury brand vehicle with an expired licence plate. Investigation revealed that the vehicle had a false Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) and had actually been stolen in Ontario.
The two occupants of the vehicle were subsequently arrested and the vehicle, suspected to be linked to organized crime, was seized.
Search warrants were obtained and executed on the vehicle as well as a hotel room rented to the vehicle driver. Officers seized over $2000 in cash, several luxury brand watches and other goods as well as drug paraphernalia.
Approximately 248 grams of an unknown powdered substance was seized from the vehicle, the analysis of which is pending.
One of the vehicle occupants was released without charge. The other, 22-year-old Stanley Letcher of Fort Simpson, has been charged with:
- Possession of property obtained by crime over $5000, contrary to section 354(1)(a) of the Criminal Code
· Operating a vehicle without valid registration, contrary to section 5(a) of the Motor Vehicles Act
· Operating a vehicle without a valid driver’s licence, contrary to section 66(1) of the Motor Vehicles Act
- Failure to wear a seatbelt, contrary to section 146(2) of the Motor Vehicles Act
Letcher was released from police custody on an Undertaking to appear in court at a later date.
This investigation remains ongoing with assistance from Toronto Police Service and Alberta RCMP’s Auto Theft Unit.
Anyone with information on this matter is asked to contact the Hay River RCMP at 874-1111 or Crime Stoppers at http://www.p3tips.com. In the event of an emergency call, 911.