A Monday night traffic stop in Barrie has resulted in numerous charges for two men after police discovered an assault rifle and a large amount of drugs in their vehicle.
At approximately 4 a.m. on April 1, police were on patrol in the northeast part of the city when they observed two men standing beside the open hatchback door of a vehicle parked on the street, according to a news release.
The officers continued to observe the car from a distance, and opted to conduct a traffic stop once the vehicle drove away. During the traffic stop, police determined the driver, a 39-year-old man from Angus, was driving under suspension and was placed under arrest.
While being taken into custody, two small bags of suspected cocaine were found on the driver. Laying across the back seat and unsafely stored, was a gun case that contained a nine millimetre semi-automatic assault rifle and a fully loaded magazine, noted the release. A further search of the car resulted in police locating and seizing a large quantity of cannabis, fentanyl, methamphetamine, cocaine and Canadian currency.
The passenger, a 25-year-old man from Orillia, was also taken into custody and both men were subsequently taken to Barrie Police Service headquarters on Fairview Road.
Both the driver and the passenger have been charged with driving while under suspension, three counts of possession of a Schedule 1 substance, three counts of possession of a Schedule 1 substance for the purpose of trafficking, unauthorized possession of firearm, careless storage of ammunition, possession of over 30 grams of dried cannabis in a public place, possession of illicit cannabis, and possession of cannabis for the purpose of distributing.
The passenger has also been charged with two counts of possession of a firearm or ammunition contrary to a prohibition order.
As a result of the investigation, both men were held in custody and were scheduled to appear today by video at the Ontario Court of Justice in Barrie for a bail hearing.
None of the allegations have been tested in court.
