Noisy driving leads to cocaine bust
A noisy stolen Jeep cost a suspected drug dealer more than $60,000 worth of cocaine.
A Halifax Regional Police officer pulled over Jeffrey Robert Macneil on March 6, 2023, for driving a Jeep Trailhawk “in a manner that causes loud and unnecessary noise,” RCMP Const. Adam Melo said in an application for a warrant to take bodily substances from Macneil.
Macneil, who turned 42 on Friday, was driving with a revoked licence, Melo said, “so the vehicle was seized.”
“On March 15, the vehicle was released from the tow yard to Macneil.”
At the same time, “a larger auto theft investigation was just in the initial stages,” the Mountie wrote in information to obtain a warrant filed at Dartmouth provincial court.
‘PREVIOUSLY STOLEN’
“Due to the information gained during the (March 6) traffic stop, it was discovered that the grey Jeep Trailhawk was believed to be previously stolen from Alberta in April 2022 and the vehicle identification number was fraudulently replaced. By the time this information was discovered the Trailhawk had already been released back to Macneil.”
Halifax Regional Police pulled over the same Jeep again on March 17, 2023, as part of the stolen vehicle probe.
Macneil was the driver and their main suspect, according to Melo. Police confirmed it was the same Jeep stolen in Alberta and seized it again.
On March 21, 2023, William Smith, an investigator with the Équité Association, a not-for-profit organization that dubs itself as a group that “supports Canadian insurers to fight fraud by using advanced analytics, intelligence best practices, and co-ordinated investigations,” inspected the stolen Jeep at Academy Towing.
‘FALSE VIN’
“The grey Jeep Trailhawk had a false VIN number, so Smith conducted a thorough search of the vehicle to locate the secondary/hidden VIN numbers,” Melo said.
“During his search, Smith located a black bag on the floor behind the passenger’s seat. When Smith moved the bag, he noted that the bag was partially open and had what he believed was a vacuum sealed bag containing cocaine.”
Smith contacted police about the drugs.
Melo arrived at Academy Towing at 10:40 a.m. Smith turned over the black Louis Vuitton Paris bag to the investigator.
“The bag was found to contain: a vacuum seal bag containing 507 grams of cocaine; a vacuum seal bag containing 30 grams of cocaine; $410 in Canadian currency; (and) three traffic tickets issued to Jeffrey Macneil (from the March 6 incident).”
APARTMENT KEY
The Louis Vuitton also held what Melo believed to be Macneil’s apartment key on a Goodlife Fitness keychain, two unused MVI slips and stickers, and an insurance card issue to Maritime Vehicle Providers, a company Melo said Macneil is “associated” with.
“Also located in the trunk of the vehicle was a box containing golf shoes. The recipient was listed as Jeff Macneil.”
Police got a warrant and searched Macneil’s apartment at Kings Wharf in Dartmouth.
“The house key seized in the bag with the cocaine was found to unlock the door to (his apartment),” Melo said.
Investigators took DNA swabs from the cocaine bags and sent them away for analysis. Male blood was identified on both. It came back as a match for Macneil.
WARRANT ISSUED
Believing Macneil had possessed the cocaine for trafficking, Melo convinced a judge to issue a warrant on Nov. 22, 2023, to detain him and take a sample of his DNA to compare with the blood found on the bags of cocaine.
In a recent Nova Scotia case, a judge heard evidence that a one-kilogram brick of cocaine with an 89 per cent purity level seized in November 2018 could be worth as much as $120,000 on the street.
Macneil’s trial for possession for the purpose of trafficking is scheduled to start June 7 in Dartmouth provincial court.
He’s been convicted of multiple charges in Nova Scotia in the past, including driving while prohibited, two counts of assault, and two counts of assault causing bodily harm in 2010; impaired driving in 2008; and two counts of being at large on an undertaking and mischief in 2007.
Macneil was convicted in 2005 for driving while disqualified, being at large on an undertaking, using another person’s identity to commit a crime, public mischief and failing to comply with a court order. In 2004, he was convicted of drug possession, two counts of breaching his release conditions, assault and impaired driving.