A 43-year-old Bonfield man is facing multiple charges following a traffic stop on North Bay last month which Ontario Provincial Police say led to the seizure of suspected illicit drugs, cash and stolen property. The incident began at about 8 a.m. on July 23, when an OPP officer conducted a stop near Lakeshore Road after their automated licence plate recognition system identified an expired vehicle permit. “While speaking with the driver, the officer observed signs of impairment by a drug,” OPP said in a news release. The driver was arrested, and a subsequent search incident to the arrest resulted in the seizure of suspected cocaine, fentanyl, crystal methamphetamine, MDMA and Percocet tablets, along with a digital scale and about $790 in cash. Stolen property recovered “Officers also located numerous tools and equipment inside the vehicle, including a welder, a compressor and a chainsaw with sentimental value to the victim,” police said. A follow-up investigation identified the items as property reported stolen during a recent break-and-enter in the North Bay area, and they were subsequently returned to their owner. Multiple charges As a result of the incident, the driver has been charged with five drug trafficking offences and two counts of possession of property obtained by crime. Furthermore, the man was also changed with driving without a licence, operating a motor vehicle without insurance as the owner, operating an unsafe motor vehicle, using a plate not authorized for a vehicle and driving without a currently valid permit, in addition to impaired driving and failing or refusing to comply with a demand. In addition to the charges, the motorist also received a 90-day driver’s licence suspension and the vehicle was impounded for seven days. The accused was release and is scheduled to appear in court in North Bay on Sept. 1.
