Hinton RCMP arrest two men, seize drugs, weapons, tools
RCMP have charged two Alberta men with trafficking and firearm offences.
In a Tuesday news release, Mounties said Hinton RCMP received a report on Monday of a motorist that appeared to be impaired on Highway 40 south of Hinton, about 288 kilometres west of Edmonton.
Police found the vehicle and determined that it was stolen from Cochrane, a town roughly 17 km northwest of Calgary, and arrested the two men without incident, RCMP added.
During the course of the investigation, RCMP seized 16 ounces of methamphetamine, one ounce of fentanyl, two sawed-off shotguns, a prohibited magazine, ammunition, machetes, knives and instruments used for break-ins.
A statement from RCMP Sgt. Graham Gurski, acting commander of the Hinton detachment, said the seizure will have a “meaningful impact” on residents of Hinton and Yellowhead County.
“This is a significant quantity of methamphetamine which has been removed off our streets,” he said. “We will continue to focus our efforts on ensuring these dangerous items do not reach our communities as we press forward with our crime reduction initiatives.”
RCMP have charged Medicine Hat resident James Fredrick Benard, 29, and Three Hills resident Donald Benjamin Birnie-browne, 39, with several offences, including 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, and possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000.
Mounties have also charged Benard with possession of a firearm while prohibited.
After a judicial hearing, Benard was remanded into custody while Birnie-browne was released on several conditions.
Both men are scheduled to appear in Hinton provincial court on May 4.