Thanks to tips from members of the community, the RCMP was able to prevent five ounces of marijuana from being distributed in Postville.
"I'm thankful that the RCMP was here to make the bust," says Postville mayor Diane Gear. "It was only five ounces but that's five ounces that didn't get sold or distributed in the community."
The drug bust occurred at the Postville airstrip on Jan. 4. Two RCMP officers arrested a 52-year-old Postville resident who is alleged to have had the marijuana in his luggage.
The man is being charged for possession for the purpose of trafficking marijuana and breaching probation. He has been released and will go to court later in the year.
One of the officers who made the bust was Constable Ken Fraser. He is part of the Labrador Relief Team; a group of RCMP officers that travel around to coastal communities. He says that information from certain members of the community was vital in making this bust.
"It was an ongoing investigation with community assistance," says Fraser. "Concerns had been raised by individuals in the community concerning illegal drugs...in order for police to have successful investigations, we need community assistance."
Mayor Gear doesn't believe drugs are a bigger problem in Postville than in any other community. However, because Postville doesn't have a full time police presence, it's hard to prevent drugs from coming in.
"They (Postville residents) know that there was drugs coming into the community but weren't sure who was bringing it in," says Gear. "It was a concern, where we don't have full time policing here in the community."
Gear has been trying to get a permanent police presence in Postville for several
years. She believes that drugs will keep coming into the community easily until there is a full time police force in town.
"I think the only way for it to stop is if we have a full time police force...but we've been told that we wouldn't get them anytime soon. This (police) issue is nothing new, I've been trying to get it for years."
Meanwhile, RCMP would like to remind the public that anybody with information involving criminal activity in their area is encouraged to contact their local RCMP or Crime Stoppers.
