Edmonton man charged after Yellowknife drug seizure

An Edmonton man who was already out on release conditions for a drug charge has been charged again after Yellowknife RCMP found more than 50 grams of suspected crack cocaine during an impaired-driving call, police say.

Officers responded to a report of an impaired driver near 54th Avenue at about 6:30 p.m. on Nov. 3, the Northwest Territories RCMP said in a release dated Nov. 9. During the investigation, they saw unstamped tobacco in plain view and arrested both people in the vehicle.

A search after the arrests turned up the suspected crack cocaine packaged for sale, several cellphones and more than $2,000 in cash, police said.

Darien Kasook, 22, of Edmonton, is charged with possession for the purpose of trafficking under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act and failing to comply with a release order under the Criminal Code. The other person in the vehicle was released at the scene without charges.

Police said Kasook was already under release conditions at the time. He was arrested in Yellowknife on Oct. 13 on drug offences after officers found 225 grams of suspected crack cocaine, and he was released on conditions after a court appearance.

After the latest arrest, he was remanded into custody. He has since been released on several conditions, including that he stay out of the Northwest Territories except to attend court.

None of the charges has been tested in court.

Anyone with information is asked to call Yellowknife RCMP at 867-765-3900 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

Source: Northwest Territories RCMP.

File photo: The Henry Larsen Building, home of the Yellowknife RCMP detachment. Photo by WinterCity296, Wikimedia Commons, public domain.