PASADENA — A 42-year-old man has been arrested after being found with $19,000 and an ounce of marijuana Wednesday evening.
The man was a passenger in a car that was stopped on what police call a routine traffic stop. The vehicle was searched by members of the RNC/RCMP Joint Force Operation after being stopped within the Town of Pasadena.
Deer Lake RCMP spokesman Sgt. Cal Barter said the man was charged with possession of more than 20 grams of a controlled substance. He said at this point it isn’t known if the large amount of money was proceeds of illegal activities.
“But usually in most cases they can put two and two together,” said Barter. “In a case where there’s this much money we’ll involve our Integrated Proceeds of Crime Unit, which will have a look at his background and his financials and determine where that money came from.”
The $19,000 was found in $100 denominations and was seized by the RCMP. Barter said it is one of the largest amounts seized in the area. The Joint Force Operation consists of one RCMP member and one RNC member and covers most areas between Deer Lake and Corner Brook.
The man was released and is scheduled to appear in court on Oct. 30.
