Suspicious vehicle check yields $100K liquor seizure

On October 27, 2021 at approximately 11:50 PM, members of BC Highway Patrol’s Traffic Safety Unit - Police Dog Service (TSU-PDS) checked a suspicious vehicle parked in an overnight parking area reserved for commercial vehicles near Revelstoke, BC.

Police observed that the seats behind the driver were removed and the vehicle, a Toyota minivan, was filled from floor to ceiling with boxes and concealed by a blanket. The van’s occupants, a man and woman from Calgary, were queried on police databases and were found to be the subjects of prior criminal activity in the Lower Mainland.

Based on the observations and experience of the investigators, both occupants were arrested and provided access to legal counsel. Subsequently, the van was searched and officers found approximately $11,000 in apparent Canadian currency, small quantities of suspected cocaine and Fentanyl and an estimated $100,000 of expensive, high-quality hard liquor purchased in Alberta.

Police believe this was not the first time the couple had transported large quantities of liquor into BC. It was determined that the amount of liquor far exceeded personal use and, as it was purchased in Alberta and transported to BC, investigators believe the intent was to avoid BC’s liquor tax and re-sell the liquor to illegal casinos or private purchasers in the Lower Mainland area.

The mandate of BCHP’s TSU-PDS is to conduct high-volume traffic safety enforcement and, often, intelligence-led policing results in the interruption, interdiction and apprehension of traveling criminals, says Inspector Dale Carr, Officer in Charge of BCHP’s Special Traffic Operations. Frequently, investigators will find wanted persons, stolen property, drugs, weapons, cash and other contraband. By removing these individuals from our highways and disrupting their activity, we prevent this type of criminal behaviour from continuing and it is one of many ways we are making our highways safer together.