Nanaimo RCMP seize 2 kilograms of cocaine from suspect involved in rollover crash

Nanaimo RCMP seize 2 kilograms of cocaine from suspect involved in rollover crash
CHEK

A 43-year-old man was arrested after he was caught holding two bricks of cocaine following a rollover crash in Nanaimo more than two months ago, say police.

Nicholas Harris, 43, was driving a black Jaguar convertible when it crashed and rolled over at the intersection of Estevan Road and Departure Bay Road on April 16, according to a Nanaimo RCMP press release issued Tuesday.

Immediately following the crash, Harris “crawled out of the wreck” and fled the scene on foot but was arrested for impaired driving a short time later in the parking lot of nearby Brooks Landing Mall, police said.

At the time of his arrest, Nanaimo RCMP say Harris was “literally holding” two bricks of what later turned out to be two kilograms of cocaine.

On June 10, Harris appeared in Nanaimo Provincial Court and was formally charged with one count of Possession for the Purpose of Trafficking. He has since been released and is slated to appear in court again in August.

Nanaimo RCMP Const. Gary O’Brien, media spokesperson, said in a press release that officers were floored that Harris was found with so much cocaine on him and credit nearby witnesses for helping them locate him.

“The officers who located the suspect were gobsmacked to find the suspect with such a large quantity of illegal drugs,” said O’Brien said. “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.”

Mounties also say the black Jaguar that crashed was seized.

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