A St. Albert RCMP officer found a much bigger problem than he likely first anticipated, when he pulled over a vehicle without a licence plate last weekend.
After stopping the Ford Escort on Perron Street around 12:20 a.m. last Saturday, the officer found seven grams of crystal meth, drug paraphernalia, a small amount of marijuana and $2,500 in cash.
Const. Janice Schoepp said the officer who initiated the stop noticed the missing licence plate and pulled the vehicle over. When he approached it, he noticed other safety problems including some nearly bald vehicle tires.
“He asked the driver to get out just so he could show it to him, because it was a traffic hazard,” said Schoepp. “When that happened he noticed some drug paraphernalia.”
Schoepp said the drug paraphernalia in this case was a pipe. After seeing it, the officer asked for permission to search the vehicle, which led to the drug discovery.
She said the meth had a street value of several hundred dollars.
Brian Alexander Bajusz, 46, is now facing charges of possession of methamphetamine for the purpose of trafficking, simple possession of marijuana and one count of possession of the proceeds of crime.
Bajusz was released on bail with a number of conditions and will make his first court appearance May 9.
Schoepp said crystal meth is not something local drug officers have seen a lot of, especially recently.
“It is quite rare.”
