St. John's man arrested and charged with 9 kg of contraband cannabis

A St. John's man has been arrested and charged with possession of nine kilogramsof cannabis.

The Newfoundland and Labrador Liquor Corporation said the cannabis was unlawfully obtained and brought into the province contrary to the Cannabis Control Act.

"The NLC, since the legalization of cannabis, is consistently receiving information regarding black market operations of cannabis going onin various parts of the province, particularly aroundthe North East Avalon region," Sean Ryan, vice president ofregulatory services and social responsibility with the NLC, told CBC News.

As a result, Ryan said, investigations are then launched by the NLC.

This marks the first time a person has been charged under the Cannabis Control Act in Newfoundland and Labrador, Ryan said.

"The Cannabis Control Act clearly articulates that NLC inspectors responsible for any enforcement of cannabis have the same powers of the RNC when enforcing this particular act," hesaid.

However, the difference between the NLC and RNCin this situation is that the RNC can push the charges further by applying the federal cannabis act to the charges.

Ryan said more of these investigations will come.

"If people are going to be into the business of this, they need to be on alert. The cooperation with the law enforcement agencies throughout the province has been tremendous," he said.

The charges are a result of an investigation conducted by the NLC, Canada Post and the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary.

On June 26 a search warrant was executed at a St. John's home resulting in the seizure of 20.5 pounds, or 9,314 grams, of contraband cannabis.

"We fully intend to do everything we can to eradicate it," Ryan said.

Acourt appearance for the man charged has been scheduled for Aug. 14.

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