Handbag with ‘fully functional’ grenades found during B.C. police search

Prince George RCMP provided this photo of a grenade seized during a search in June of 2025.

Mounties in Northern B.C. had to evacuate a building and call in the explosive disposal unit while executing a search during a drug trafficking investigation earlier this month.

The Prince George RCMP searched “multiple” homes connected to the “illicit drug subculture” on June 6 and 7, a Tuesday news release from the detachment said. Nearly 20 kilograms of suspected cocaine, methamphetamine, ketamine and MDMA were seized along with cartons of contraband cigarettes, and “several high-powered firearms and handguns with ammunition,” police said.

At one of the homes, police found a handbag with what “appeared to be several hand grenades” and when the bomb squad arrived, the devices were found to be “fully functional,” according to the RCMP.

“These findings represent a significant increase to the threat level we are encountering within the illicit drug trade in Prince George,” spokesperson Cpl. Jennifer Cooper said, in the release.

“We would like to send our thanks to the residents of the apartment complex who were urgently evacuated in the middle of the night when the explosives were located. The evacuations were necessary to ensure residents’ safety and those affected were understanding and cooperative with law enforcement officers throughout the event.”

Police say the investigation is ongoing, and their statement did not say whether any arrests have been made.