The Hawkesbury Detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) has arrested and charged two people following a RIDE check stop.
On November 15, 2024, shortly after 12:15 am, officers stopped a vehicle on John Street in Hawkesbury, where open alcohol was located inside. A search of the vehicle led to the discovery of a blacked-out drone and programmable handheld radio, as well as multiple tightly wrapped packages of what appeared to be controlled substances. The investigation revealed that the suspects were planning on distributing these packages via drone to a nearby prison.
As a result of the investigation, 26-year-old Marc-André Barbeau of St-Stanislas-de-Kostka, Québec, was arrested and charged with the following offences under the Cannabis Act:
- Possession for the purpose of distributing
- Possession of over 30g of dried cannabis (or equivalent) in a public place
- Possession of illicit cannabis
Barbeau was released from custody and is scheduled to appear in court on December 11, 2024, in L’Orignal.
A 16-year-old male from Montréal was also arrested and charged with the following offences under the Cannabis Act (his identity protected under the Youth Criminal Justice Act):
- Possession for the purpose of distributing
- Possession of over 5g of dried cannabis (or equivalent) by youth
- Possession of illicit cannabis
The youth was released from custody and is scheduled to appear in court on December 12, 2024 in L’Orignal.
