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RCMP arrest 76-year-old St. Albert man in drug raid
A St. Albert senior is facing drug trafficking charges after a search warrant on his home found marijuana, cocaine, prescription drugs, 11 rifles and one handgun.
Police raided the home of a 76-year old man at 80 Salisbury Ave. on Friday, Aug. 5, and discovered the extensive cache of drugs and weapons that were put on display Thursday afternoon.
In total, they discovered 133 grams of marijuana, eight grams of crack cocaine and a single gram of powdered cocaine. They also found prescription drugs, including morphine and oxycodone, and more than 100 empty pill bottles.
Elroy Arthur Haight is facing four charges of possession for the purposes of trafficking, one count of possession of the proceeds of crime and a host of weapons charges.
RCMP spokesperson Const. Janice Schoepp said the detachment received tips from the public that lead them to launch an investigation.
“In this instance, there was more than one member of the public who brought forward information,” Schoepp said.
She said the pill bottles were labelled with a variety of different people’s names and for a variety of prescription drugs.
“They date back about a year, to 2010. There were over 100 empty bottles found with multiple names on them, some of which belonged to the accused.”
She said, of the 11 rifles seized, seven were improperly stored. She said some of the weapons were registered, but not all, and the handgun is a prohibited weapon.
Schoepp said the man was arrested without incident following the raid at his house. She said a man of his age being charged with such serious charges is exceedingly rare.
“It is unusual that we would have a senior involved in drug-related charges, certainly,” she said. “I don’t think I’ve ever encountered a senior citizen charged with trafficking.”
Haight was released on $5,000 cash bail with a number of conditions, including one preventing him from having a cellphone and another requiring him to report regularly to the RCMP detachment.
He will make his first court appearance on Monday, Aug. 22.
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