Man carrying handgun and nearly $30K in cash arrested in Victoria, police say

Police shared these photos of the gun and the cash. (VicPD)

Police in Victoria say they arrested a man they found in possession of a loaded handgun and more than $29,000 worth of cash earlier this week.

The arrest occurred during "proactive patrols" in the 200 block of Gorge Road East shortly before 10 a.m. Thursday, the Victoria Police Department said in a news release Saturday.

Officers found the firearm in "a satchel the man was wearing," police said. The bag also contained more than $29,000 in Canadian currency and US$320.

"Officers determined the accused was prohibited from possessing firearms due to previous convictions for drug trafficking, robbery, and other offences," the VicPD release reads.

"He was held in custody to appear in court and is facing five firearms-related charges."

Online court records indicate the accused is Stephen James Harley Leonard, who was born in 1987.

He faces three counts of possessing a firearm contrary to an order, as well as one count each of careless use or storage of a firearm, carrying a concealed weapon and possessing a loaded restricted or prohibited firearm.

Leonard's next court appearance is scheduled for Sept. 10 in Port Alberni.