Two car crashes lead to back-to-back drug busts in Oliver

Two suspected drug traffickers crashed their vehicles in separate incidents leading to their arrests in South Okanagan. “Both these files involve significant quantities of illicit drugs being seized with a street value in excess of $10,000 in each instance,” Cpl. Chad Jackson, Oliver RCMP, said in a press release issued today, June 6. “Investigating officers believe that both men were in possession of the drugs for the purpose of trafficking them.” The first incident happened when an officer was called to a single-vehicle collision at Highway 97 and Road 2 on May 14. A 41-year-old Osoyoos man had allegedly driven a Toyota Tundra off the road into a ditch, and was spotted leaving the scene. When the officer found the man he appeared to be intoxicated. After further investigation the officer found a large amount of what is suspected to be cocaine and methamphetamine, along with more than $8,000 in cash. The drugs and cash were allegedly hidden by the man before police arrived. The suspect is now facing charges for possessing a controlled substance with the purpose of trafficking. RCMP didn't say whether he's still in custody. The second incident happened a few weeks later when police were called to a collision at Sawmill Road and Maple Avenue on June 3. The 49-year-old Oliver man allegedly rear-ended a parked delivery van, and was arrested for impaired driving. When police searched the man they found a significant amount of suspected fentanyl, methamphetamine, cocaine and some cash. Following the search, the suspect is facing charges for possessing a controlled substance for the purpose of trafficking, on top of the impaired driving charge. "These two incidents highlight the serious problems of impaired driving and drug trafficking in our communities," BC RCMP spokesperson Cpl. James Grandy said in the release. Anyone aware of drug trafficking in the South Okanagan is encouraged to call RCMP or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477. To contact a reporter for this story, email Jesse Tomas mailto:jtomas@infonews.ca  or call 250-488-3065 or email the editor mailto:news@infonews.ca . You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom mailto:tips@infonews.ca  and be entered to win a monthly prize draw. We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above. SUBSCRIBE to our awesome newsletter here https://infotel.ca/newsletter .