OPP say permanent marker used to alter license plate and ‘evade’ law enforcement

OPP say permanent marker was used to alter a pickup truck's licence plates. (Source: OPP)

An Ontario driver is facing multiple charges after they were caught with almost 2,000 unmarked cigarettes and altered license plates.

Ontario Provincial Police said officers were on proactive patrol when their Automated Licence Plate Recognition (ALPR) system flagged a passing pickup truck on Wellington Road 109 near Minto.

The vehicle, they also noted, had recently been stopped by the Ministry of Transportation of Ontario (MTO).

“The vehicle was deemed to be prohibited to be operated on our roadways due to safety hazards,” a media release said.

During the traffic stop on Wellington Road 109, the OPP officer noticed something was a little off.

“The driver had used permanent marker on their licence plates, in the attempt to evade law enforcement and imitating a class designation of their licence plates contrary to their type of vehicle,” the release said.

As if that wasn’t enough, OPP also found almost 2,000 unmarked cigarettes in the pickup truck.

The driver, a 63-year-old from Mount Hope, was charged with operating an unsafe vehicle, driving a commercial vehicle contrary to prohibition, having a defective braking system, having a defaced plate and using a plate not authorized for a vehicle, as well as possession of unmarked cigarettes.