Two people from the Greater Toronto Area are facing several criminal charges following a vehicle stop for speeding on Friday afternoon.
On Friday, March 19 at approximately 5:30 p.m., a member of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) East Region Highway Safety Division was conducting enforcement on Hwy 401 in the Town of Greater Napanee, when the officer noted a vehicle travelling at an unusually slow speed.
The officer conducted a traffic stop on the vehicle and while interacting with the two occupants of the vehicle, the officer observed cannabis in plain view and subsequently conducted a search of the vehicle. During the search of the vehicle, the officer located approximately 13 grams of cocaine and a loaded handgun which had been reported stolen from earlier this year. Both occupants of the vehicle were placed under arrest and transported to the Lennox & Addington (L&A) County detachment.
The vehicle driver, a 20-year-old from Whitby and the passenger, a 19-year-old from Scarborough, are both charged with:
· Possession of a Schedule 1 substance (cocaine);
· Possession of a Schedule 1 substance for the purpose of trafficking;
· Carrying a concealed weapon;
· Possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose;
· Being the occupant of a motor vehicle knowing that it contained a firearm;
· Knowledge of unauthorized possession of a firearm;
· Unauthorized possession of a firearm;
· Possession of a loaded prohibited or restricted firearm;
· Transport a firearm in a careless manner;
· Careless storage of a firearm;
· Possession of a stolen firearm; and
· Possession of stolen property.
Both accused were held in police custody to appear at a virtual bail hearing in Greater Napanee on Monday, March 22, 2021.