West Shore RCMP officers have seized “numerous” guns from a vehicle after the driver was found to be driving impaired by drugs.
According to a report from West Shore RCMP, a frontline officer was conducting patrols near Helmken Road and Island Highway in View Royal on Nov. 28 when he observed a vehicle swerving.
The officer pulled the vehicle over at around 9:20 p.m. and found out the woman driving the vehicle was not the registered owner and did not have a valid driver’s licence.
Police say the woman was issued a notice of driving prohibition and the vehicle was towed. In the meantime, the patrol officer said the woman called the registered owner of the vehicle to attend the scene and pick her up.
The registered owner of the vehicle – identified as a 23-year-old woman and a resident of Saanich – showed up to the scene exhibiting symptoms of drug impairment, according to West Shore RCMP.
The officer conducted an impaired driving investigation, which led to the determination that the 23-year-old was impaired by drugs.
The officer continued his investigation and located several firearms inside the vehicle including four semi-automatic rifles and 1 semi-automatic shotgun which were all seized.
West Shore RCMP note that one of the rifles and the shotgun were found to be loaded.
“Although the woman did have a valid firearms licence, loaded firearms in a vehicle are illegal. It is also unknown why the woman had so many firearms in the vehicle with her,” said Cst. Nancy Saggar, West Shore RCMP Media Relations Officer.
“Given her impaired state and the unsafe storage, this was a public safety concern and the guns were seized. The woman will be facing both impaired driving as well as firearms-related offences.”
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Graham Cox
