A West Shore RCMP officer found 14 grams of a suspected opioid after noticing a woman slumped over the wheel of her vehicle in Langford.
West Shore RCMP said an officer was patrolling a neighbourhood in Langford around 1 a.m. on March 12 when he came across a vehicle parked at the curb on Hoffman Avenue near Winster Road.
Police said the officer noticed a woman slumped over the wheel in the vehicle and was checking on her well being when he observed signs of drug impairment.
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The officer also noticed that the woman had a bag of white powdered substance — suspected to be an opioid — on her person. A search yielded 14 grams of the suspected opioid which was seized by police.
The woman was arrested for possession of a controlled substance for the purpose of trafficking.
“Opioids are known to be highly addictive and can often be deadly,” said Const. Nancy Saggar of West Shore RCMP. “This amount of suspected opioid was likely going to be trafficked into the West Shore community and was stopped solely due to the front line officer’s investigation. Yet another example of the great work being done by our front line officers.”
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The officer also pursued an impaired driving investigation which included the use of a drug recognition expert who determined the woman was intoxicated by drugs and not able to safely operate a motor vehicle.
The woman was the only occupant of the vehicle. She was released by police and issued a 24 hour prohibition from driving. The vehicle was also impounded.
The investigation is ongoing and once complete, police expect she will be summoned to court according to West Shore RCMP.
shalu.mehta@goldstreamgazette.com