Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, today I would like to discuss the drug problem in our communities and the escalating threat of violent crime. This past November, officers from the Behchoko RCMP detachment stopped a suspicious vehicle on Highway No. 3 and found a loaded handgun, approximately 25 grams of what they suspected to be crack cocaine, and $30,000 in cash. Later the same month, Behchoko RCMP seized $76,000 and a small quantity of illicit drugs from a different vehicle with Alberta license plates that they had stopped for suspicious driving. Last February, Behchoko RCMP reported that they seized 1.9 kilograms of cocaine, a semi-automatic handgun and a prohibited extended round magazine, in a single search.
Mr. Speaker, making residents and communities safe is a priority of this Assembly. Drugs are getting into our communities. The people bringing them in carry semi-automatic, automatic weapons, and they are leaving with hundreds of thousands of dollars which, in turn, perpetuates our problem. These suppliers are criminals who prey on vulnerable people. Keeping them out would not solve substance abuse problems overnight, but it will make Behchoko and other communities safer.
Can the Minister of Justice please investigate this matter and take actions to keep vulnerable members of our community safe whether that means stopping more cars on the highway or increasing police presence, something must be done, Mr. Speaker. I will have questions for the Minister of Justice. Thank you.
Thank you, Member from Monfwi. Members' statements. Member from Deh Cho.
