A North Battleford man and Lloydminster woman have been arrested by Alberta RCMP following a traffic stop on Highway 16.
At about 6 p.m. on April 7, Vermillion, Alta., RCMP stopped a vehicle for littering while driving on the Yellowhead Highway in the County of Minburn.
During the traffic stop, police determined the driver didn’t have a driver’s licence and drugs were observed in the vehicle. This led to the arrest of the two occupants in the vehicle, Kevin Kahmahkotayo, 28, of North Battleford, Sask., and Penny McCoy, 38, of Lloydminster.
Officers searched the vehicle and found a significant amount of drugs, including more than 500 grams of cocaine.
“Not only are traffic stops effective at increasing police visibility and reducing aggressive driving, but they can also result in unexpected outcomes such as this,” said Sgt. Corey Buckingham, Vermilion RCMP Detachment Commander. “Excellent work by the members involved to transition from what was a simple provincial offence, into a significant drug investigation.”
Kahmahkotayo and McCoy were each charged with three counts of possession for the purpose of trafficking (cocaine, crack cocaine, and methamphetamine). Kahmahkotayo was additionally charged with driving without a valid license.
McCoy and Kahmahkotayo were both held for Judicial Interim Release hearings, where both were released from custody. McCoy appears in Alberta Court of Justice in Vermilion on April 22, while Kahmahkotayo appears on May 6.
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