Saanich police seize suspected drugs, cash during impaired driving call

Saanich police seized about a kilogram of suspected cocaine and more than $20,000 in cash after responding to a report of an impaired driver in a Blanshard Street parking lot Thursday afternoon. Just before 4 p.m. on Oct. 23, an officer from the Saanich Police Traffic Safety Unit arrived in the 3500-block of Blanshard Street after a receiving report of a man behind the wheel of a Mercedes SUV, appearing to smoke from a glass pipe. When the officer arrived, they found a man and woman unconscious in the front seats of the vehicle with the engine still running. Police said the officer noticed what appeared to be drugs and paraphernalia on the driver’s lap, before the male driver attempted to flee. “The officer informed the male driver that he was under arrest and removed the keys from the ignition of the vehicle as the driver attempted to flee,” Saanich police said in a release. After the arrest, officers searched the vehicle and found a brick of suspected cocaine weighing about one kilogram, along with more than $20,000 in cash. The driver was issued a 90-day administrative driving prohibition and was released. “Our investigation is ongoing, and we anticipate recommending charges to Crown at a later date,” added the Saanich Police.