A pair of men from southern Alberta face drug- and weapons-related charges after RCMP officers pulled over a suspected impaired driver.
After pulling over the vehicle on Highway 40 south of Hinton, Alta., officers determined the vehicle had been stolen from Cochrane and arrested the two men without incident.
Following an investigation, RCMP seized 453 grams of methamphetamine, 28 grams of fentanyl, two sawed-off shotguns, ammunition, a prohibited magazine, machetes, knives and break-in tools.
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James Fredrick Benard, 29, of Medicine Hat and Donald Benjamin Birnie-Browne, 39, of Three Hills, have each been charged with:
- possession for the purposes of trafficking
- possession of break-in instruments
- unauthorized possession of a firearm in a motor vehicle
- possession of a prohibited firearm
- possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000
Benard also faces a charge of possession of a firearm while prohibited to do so.
“This is a significant quantity of methamphetamine which has been removed off our streets. The seizure of these illegal drugs and firearms will have a meaningful impact for the residents of Hinton and Yellowhead County,” acting detachment commander Sgt. Graham Gurski said in a statement.
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Following a judicial hearing, Benard was remanded into custody and Birnie-Browne was released on several conditions. Both are scheduled to appear in Hinton Provincial Court on May 4.
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