A concerned citizen reporting an erratic driver resulted in RCMP arresting an Alberta man and seizing a large quantity of drugs.
Lowen Diehl, 36, of Penhold and Edmonton areas was arrested Dec. 7 by North Battleford RCMP.
Police received a call at about 11:30 a.m. on Dec. 7 from a citizen reporting seeing an SUV being driven erratically. Police located and stopped the SUV just west of Battleford on Hwy 16.
“I applaud the diligence of both the members of the public who contacted us and our officers who responded to the call,” said Insp. Tom Beck, Officer in Charge of North Battleford Detachment.
“A police officer never knows what circumstances they might encounter when conducting a traffic stop – you never know who or what will be inside that vehicle.”
The vehicle was searched and police seized a quantity of Canadian currency, about 15 kg of suspected methamphetamine, about one kg of suspected cocaine, small amount of suspected fentanyl, and about one kg of an unidentified substance believed to be a controlled substance, which police will send for further testing to identify.
RCMP say the methamphetamine could be broken down into about 150,000 individual doses and the cocaine could be broken down to about 1,000 individual doses.
“To be blunt, 150,000 doses is a large quantity of drugs to take off the street and keep out of the hands of some 150,000 potential people,” added Insp. Beck.
“Police officers see first-hand the impacts of drug use. We also know drugs are often laced with other harmful substances that can result in tragedy. One of the things we can do to prevent these tragedies and other ripple effects from occurring, is to stem the flow of these substances before they trickle into our Saskatchewan communities and beyond. The seizure of this quantity of methamphetamine, will certainly have a significant, resounding impact.”
Diehl appeared in North Battleford Provincial Court Dec. 9 and was remanded in custody. His next court appearance is on Dec. 16.
