$70K of cocaine seized during traffic stop in southeast Winnipeg

A file image of the Winnipeg Police Service taken on Dec. 24, 2019. (Source: CTV News Winnipeg)

Three men are facing charges after a traffic stop netted $70,000 worth of cocaine on Thursday.

The Winnipeg Police Service’s guns and gangs unit arrested the trio during the stop at St. Mary’s Road and Hull Avenue.

Police said the arrests stem from a drug-trafficking investigation that started in August. It’s believed the three men are part of an interprovincial criminal network bringing cocaine into northern First Nations communities.

Police seized 834 individually wrapped grams of cocaine and 66 grams of packaged cocaine, along with drug packaging and trafficking materials, during the traffic stop. They also confiscated two vehicles, almost $2,000 in Canadian cash, airline tickets, luggage, and a stolen piece of ID.

A 26-year-old man from Winnipeg, a 24-year-old man from Vita, Man., and a 27-year-old from Penticton, B.C., were charged with various drug-trafficking offences and remain in custody.

Police said the investigation is still ongoing.