VICTORIA – A large scale drug bust in Nanaimo lead to the seizure of drugs, thousands of dollars in cash and multiple stolen firearms, according to RCMP.
Police say that late Wednesday evening, Nanaimo RCMP officers executed a search warrant on a downtown Nanaimo home that was believed to be supplying drug dealers in the area.
"This home was suspected of supplying drugs to dealers who in turn, were selling to marginalized people in the downtown core of Nanaimo," said RCMP in a news release Thursday.
Once police entered the property, two people were arrested without incident, a 27-year-old man and a 47-year-old woman. Inside the home, officers discovered more than two ounces of illicit substances, including fentanyl, methamphetamine, cocaine, prescription oxycodone and a range of other prescription drugs.
Police also found two firearms inside the residence, a .22 calibre rifle and a sawed-off shotgun. A large amount of both Canadian and American cash was also discovered, which totalled more than $15,000.
Mounties say that while neither of the guns were loaded upon discovery, both were readily accessible within the home. Police have since determined that both firearms had been reported stolen.
"The Nanaimo RCMP Projects team is committed to disrupting suppliers of fentanyl, which is responsible for the majority of overdose deaths within our city and its street community," said Const. Gary O'Brien of the Nanaimo RCMP.
"These arrests and seizures should, at least in the short term, impact the flow of illegal drugs to dealers in the downtown core of our city," said O'Brien.
Both people who were arrested at the home are now facing charges of drug trafficking. The pair have since been released unconditionally with court dates for the charges to be determined.
