Man flees crash holding 2 bricks of cocaine: Nanaimo RCMP
A Nanaimo man has been charged with one count of possessing illicit substances for the purpose of trafficking after he was involved in a rollover crash earlier this year.
Nanaimo RCMP say they were called to the intersection of Estevan Road and Departure Bay Road around 7:45 p.m. on April 16 for reports of a rollover crash.
Mounties say multiple witnesses called police to report the crash, and said that the driver of the vehicle crawled out of the crashed car and fled the area on foot.
As police were en route, Mounties say several witnesses continued to provide real-time updates on the driver's location, leading to his arrest minutes later at the Brooks Landing Mall parking lot.
"Officers initially detained the driver for impaired driving by alcohol, however their focus quickly diverted after noting that he was literally holding in his hands two bricks of suspected cocaine," said Nanaimo RCMP in a release Tuesday.
Mounties say the two bricks of cocaine weighed about two kilograms in total.
The driver, 43-year-old Nicholas Harris, was arrested and released later that day with a court date scheduled for June 10.
His vehicle, a newer model black Jaguar convertible, was also seized by police at the time.
On Tuesday, Mounties said Harris appeared in court on June 10, when one count of possession for the purpose of trafficking was sworn in. His next court date is scheduled for late August, poliec say.
"The officers who located the suspect were gobsmacked to find the suspect with such a large quantity of illegal drugs," said Const. Gary O’Brien of the Nanaimo RCMP in a statement Tuesday.
"The officers would also like to extend their sincere appreciation to the bystanders who assisted officers by staying at the scene and provided real-time updates which allowed investigators to locate the suspect quickly and efficiently, before he had the opportunity to hide or destroy the drugs," he said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Leafs star Auston Matthews finishes season with 69 goals
Auston Matthews won't be joining the NHL's 70-goal club this season.
Trump lawyers say Stormy Daniels refused subpoena outside a Brooklyn bar, papers left 'at her feet'
Donald Trump's legal team says it tried serving Stormy Daniels a subpoena as she arrived for an event at a bar in Brooklyn last month, but the porn actor, who is expected to be a witness at the former president's criminal trial, refused to take it and walked away.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Doug Ford calls on Ontario Speaker to reverse Queen's Park keffiyeh ban
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling on Speaker Ted Arnott to reverse a ban on keffiyehs at Queen's Park, describing the move as “needlessly” divisive.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.