A Nanaimo man faces drug charges after police allegedly found him holding two bricks of cocaine following a car crash.
According to an Nanaimo RCMP press release, the suspect was arrested with approximately two kilograms of suspected cocaine after he was involved in a rollover motor vehicle crash that happened at about 7:45 p.m. April 16 at the intersection of Estevan and Departure Bay roads.
Police received several calls about the crash from witnesses who said the driver of the vehicle crawled out of the wreck and fled on foot. Several witnesses kept an eye on the driver and provided information on the suspect’s movement and location, and officers caught up with the suspect minutes later in the Brooks Landing shopping centre parking lot.
“Officers initially detained the driver for impaired driving by alcohol; however, their focus quickly diverted after noting that he was literally holding in his hands two bricks of suspected cocaine,” noted the press release.
The drugs, which later weighed in at two kilograms, were seized, as was the newer-model Jaguar convertible that was towed from the crash scene.
Nicholas Harris, 43, of Nanaimo, was arrested and released later the same evening and appeared in court June 10, when he was charged with one count of drug possession for the purpose of trafficking. His next court appearance is scheduled for late August.
“The officers who located the suspect were gobsmacked to find the suspect with such a large quantity of illegal drugs,” said reserve Const. Gary O’Brien, Nanaimo RCMP spokesman, in the release. “The officers would also like to extend their sincere appreciation to the bystanders who assisted officers by staying at the scene and provided real time updates which allowed investigators to locate the suspect quickly and efficiently, before he had the opportunity to hide or destroy the drugs.”
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