Men from Meductic and Grand Falls charged in Fredericton court following arrest in Fredericton Airport
Two men, one from Meductic and the other from Grand Falls faced charges in Fredericton provincial court on Friday, Nov. 24, in connection to a drug trafficking investigation in the Woodstock area.
Woodstock Police Force said 45-year-old Matthew William Harris of Meductic and Robert ‘Rob’ Louis Michand, formerly of Grand Falls, were charged with trafficking crystal methamphetamine. Harris also faces charges for possession of cocaine.
In a media release on Nov. 24, Chief Gary Forward of the Woodstock Police Force said the investigation dates back to April. He explained the Woodstock Integrated Enforcement Unit (IEU) began an investigation into drug trafficking in the area.
The IEU includes members of the Woodstock Police Force members, N.B. Justice and Public Safety officers and the RCMP.
The investigation resulted in the arrest of Harris, Michaud and an unidentified woman at the Fredericton Airport in Lincoln on Thursday, Nov. 23.
The release said the arrests and subsequent search led Woodstock Police Force IEU officers to the seizure of approximately four kilos of what officers believe is crystal meth. Police also seized a sum of Canadian currency.
The WPF release said the court remanded Harris and Michaud into custody until a bail hearing in Fredericton court soon.
Forward said several police agencies and teams assisted in the investigation initiated by the Woodstock IEU. Those include members of the Woodstock Police Force Street Crime Unit and WPF Primary Response officers.
Other participating teams included the Fredericton Police Department IEU and Street Crime Unit, the Moncton IEU, the RCMP Provincial Crime Reduction Units in Woodstock and Moncton, Woodstock RCMP detachment officers, the RCMP Community Crime Reduction Unit in Oromocto and Oromocto RCMP detachment officers.
Forward explained the IEU teams in New Brunswick comprise members of municipal police departments, members of the NB Department of Justice and Public Safety, and RCMP.
He said the teams work collaboratively and in partnership, focusing their efforts to coordinate and improve response in our communities to growing concerns about drugs, firearms, and organized crime.
The release stressed that the distribution and sale of illegal drugs is a serious criminal offence posing health and safety risks to everyone in New Brunswick.
It said the public plays an essential role in helping to reduce, prevent and solve crime.
The Woodstock Police Force asks anyone with information about the illegal possession or trafficking of drugs to contact it at 1-506-325-4601.
Information can also be provided anonymously through Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), by downloading the secure P3 Mobile App, or by Secure Web Tips at www.crimenb.ca.
Forward said the investigation is ongoing.
