Sudbury pair charged, $9K in drugs seized in Manitoulin traffic stop

The back of a police vehicle with officers visible in the background. (File photo/Supplied/Ontario Provincial Police)

Two people from Greater Sudbury are facing drug trafficking charges after police stopped a vehicle this week for a dirty licence plate.

Ontario Provincial Police stopped the vehicle on Highway 6 around 9 p.m. on Sept. 14, in Northeastern Manitoulin and the Islands Township.

Police said an officer observed a vehicle with an obstructed licence plate swerving on the highway.

Both the driver and passenger were taken into custody at the scene.

“Police seized amounts of suspected cocaine and crack cocaine with a total estimated street value of $9,000,” OPP said in a news release Wednesday.

As a result, the driver, a 43-year-old man from Lively, was charged with impaired driving, operating an unsafe vehicle and drug trafficking.

Other charges include failing to have his insurance card and failing to surrender his licence and vehicle permit.

The passenger, a 40-year-old woman from Hanmer, was also charged with drug trafficking.

In addition to the charges, under provincial law, the driver also received a 90-day licence suspension and the vehicle involved was impounded for seven days.

Both accused were released and are scheduled to appear in court in Gore Bay on Oct. 7.