(Submitted/MP Gary Vidal)

By Nicole Reis

LA LOCHE BOOTLEGGERS

La Loche RCMP targeting bootleggers, drug dealers in an effort to battle addiction, minimize gatherings

May 21, 2020 | 5:21 PM

Over the last four days, RCMP have received information about people bringing back an excessive amount of beverage alcohol which includes rye, whisky, rum, flavoured coolers and beer.

Speaking on local community radio in La Loche, Staff Sgt. Conrad Logan said RCMP came up with a plan and patrolled and checked traffic coming into the community. He said in his 20 years of RCMP northern Saskatchewan service, bootlegging and purchasing excess amounts of alcohol and sharing it with other people or purchasing booze for other people, has been a problem.

Section 138 of Alcohol and Gaming Regulations Act says a person cannot purchase alcohol and then resell it for a higher price to another person without a licence. A person cannot directly or indirectly sell or offer to sell alcohol.

“If you’re going down South and a friend or colleague asks you to pick up [alcohol], as per the act, you are not allowed to do that anywhere in Saskatchewan,” he said.

Yesterday, RCMP were patrolling checkpoints and found five vehicles had excessive amounts of liquor which were clearly not for personal consumption. Officers seized 534 cans of beer, 24 bottles of beer, 54 cans of vintage hard iced tea, 42 cans of Palm Bay, eight cans of Black Fly Citrus, 12 cans of Mike’s Hard Lemonade, 108 cans of Smirnoff Ice, eight Twisted Shots, 36 cans of White Claw hard seltzer, 24 light strawberry lemonades, one four-litre box of Royal Red, two half gallons of vodka, one half gallon of whiskey, one 40 of spiced rum, one bottle of Smirnoff Berry Blast, two bottles of fruit wine, a bottle of Arbor Mist and a bottle of pink lemonade.

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The items seized by La Loche RCMP. (submitted photo/RCMP)

“I’m very comfortable standing up in court and arguing with a judge or with individual that, for instance in one vehicle, six 24-packs of beer, is not for personal consumption,” Logan said.

Since the closure of liquor stores in the community, calls for service have dropped by 75 per cent and gatherings have stopped. An RCMP presence will continue at checkpoints and officers will let the courts decide what the outcome will be. According to the officer, a 24 pack of beer was sold for $200. While the officer said purchasing for personal use is acceptable, there was not a definitive number of alcohol products one can purchase for personal consumption.

“Were going to catch up to you and you’re going to get charged if you’re bootlegging liquor up here,” Logan said. “We’re not picking on certain people, it’s quite literally the amount and there is not a magical calculation in regards to the amount. It’s all discretion and depends on the how the investigation plays out.”

Since the beginning of May, RCMP also received several reports of people dealing crack/cocaine. In 21 days, police executed three search warrants and seized substantial amounts of crack/cocaine, money and a snowmobile which was forfeited to the province. In an effort to battle addiction, police will use enforcement by targeting drug dealers.

People who are headed to their cabin who may wish to stock up on supplies could be subject to a roadside investigation as there is no clear or acceptable amount of how much alcohol one can bring with them.

Curfews in place in the community have been raised to 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. as daylight hours are longer. La Loche reported two new cases today for a total of 169 cases of COVID-19, two deaths and 101 recoveries.

Editor’s note: this story was amended to clarify RCMP Staff Sgt. Logan’s rank, and that he was speaking on local community radio in La Loche.

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nicole.reis@jpbg.ca

Twitter: @nicolereis7722