On April 4, the Mayerthorpe RCMP responded to a driving complaint on Highway 43, near the Town of Mayerthorpe, where a vehicle with substantial body damage was reported driving at high rate of speed.

Police located the vehicle and initiated a traffic stop with a lone male occupant. The road-side interaction quickly evolved into a drug investigation, and the occupant was arrested without incident.

Upon search of the vehicle, a large amount of suspected cocaine (approx. 926.5g), was recovered, as well as cash and drug sale paraphernalia. The street level value of the drugs is estimated at $90,000.

Jeffrey Stephan Arsenie (41), a resident of Sylvan Lake,  has been charged with one count of possession for the purpose of trafficking as well as numerous traffic safety act offences.

Arsenie was brought before a justice of the peace and released on conditions. He is set to appear in the Alberta Court of Justice in Mayerthorpe on May 9.