Traffic stops lead to search warrants in Lake Cowichan

A pair of traffic stops by the Lake Cowichan RCMP has resulted in an ongoing drug trafficking investigation and search warrant execution.

In January 2024, RCMP investigators stopped a vehicle in Youbou which resulted in a seizure of drugs, cash, and weapons. As a result of that investigation, a 39-year-old Lake Cowichan resident has been charged with one count of Possession of a Controlled Substance for the Purpose of Trafficking and a weapons offense.

In early June, officers responded to a complaint of a male asleep at the wheel of a vehicle in the 100 block of Cowichan Lake Road in Lake Cowichan. From that vehicle, police seized additional drugs and cash, and a second man was taken into custody.

On June 20, 2024, Lake Cowichan RCMP frontline officers, with the assistance of the Vancouver Island Emergency Response Team, executed two search warrants on separate residences in Lake Cowichan, recovering further evidence related to this investigation.

Substance abuse and addiction has a hugely negative impact on our communities, and Lake Cowichan is not immune. We are committed to holding drug traffickers responsible, and we thank the public for reporting suspicious activities which have aided this important work, said Constable Smith of the Lake Cowichan RCMP.

The investigations remain ongoing, and anyone with information is asked to contact the Lake Cowichan RCMP at 250-749-6668.