Man sentenced for one of the 'largest fentanyl seizures' in Comox area

A file photo of an RCMP cruiser. (Sean Amato/CTV News Edmonton)

The Comox Valley RCMP say a man has been sentenced to more than four years in prison after he was arrested for drug and weapons charges in late 2021.

The man was arrested on Oct. 2, 2021, following a single vehicle rollover crash in Royston, south of Courtenay.

When police arrived at the scene, the crash site could be seen but no one was at the vehicle.

Bystanders told police that they saw a man, who they believed to be the driver, exit the vehicle and toss a black bag into some nearby bushes before walking away.

Police located the bag and found 1.2 kilograms of fentanyl inside, as well as 140 grams of meth, one ounce of cocaine and $2,800 in Canadian cash.

Mounties describe the discovery as "one of the largest fentanyl seizures in recent history here in the Comox Valley."

As police continued to search for the driver, Mounties received a "swatting" call in an attempt to lure officers out of the area.

Police say they were able to determine that the call was being made from a phone number associated to the registered owner of the car involved in the crash.

Mounties eventually located the driver in another vehicle. He was arrested and was in possession of the phone that made the swatting call, according to police.

Meanwhile, a search of this other vehicle uncovered two firearms, a shotgun and a .22 calibre rifle, that were inside a bag in the trunk.

Kyle Thomsen was arrested for possession of a controlled substance for the purpose of trafficking, possession of a firearm contrary to an order, and other firearm-related offences, according to RCMP.

He has since been sentenced to four years and four months in prison, police said in a release Tuesday.

"Now that Mr. Thomsen has been sentenced, we want to bring this investigation to the attention of the public for two reasons," said Comox Valley RCMP Const. Monika Terragni.

"First, the observations made by witnesses at the scene were integral to the attending officers being able to quickly locate and seize valuable evidence," she said. "Second, the amount of fentanyl seized equates to approximately 12,000 doses, all of which could have been potentially lethal."

Mounties say they're grateful for the help of the witnesses and encourage anyone who sees suspicious activity to report it to their local police.