Thousands of meth pills seized in Christmas Eve arrest, police say

RCMP responding to a report of an accident near Charlottetown on Christmas Eve say they ended up making a major drug seizure.

A vehicle left the road on Route 1 near Riverdaleat roughly 6 p.m. on Sunday, striking several trees and ending up in a ditch. The driver had abandoned the vehicle when police arrived.

With the help oftrained dogs, police were able to find a 26-year-old man within an hour.

'It is a substantial seizure'

RCMPActingCpl. ScottMintiesaid the man was carrying methamphetamine pills and there were more in the vehicle. In total there were about 2,000 pills, police allege.

The man was arrested for possession for the purpose of trafficking and hasbeen remanded into custody until a court appearance in early January.

Mintie has been involved in drug units on P.E.I. since 2010 and said in his seven years on the Island he's seen an increase in methamphetamine use and thatit's concerning.

"That is a large amount of pills it is a substantial seizure," Mintiesaid in an interview.

"It's becoming a problem on Prince EdwardIsland, these methamphetamine pills, you don't know what the process is to make these pills, you don't know the dangers in the toxins within them."

• MORE P.E.I. NEWS |MacLauchlan clamps down on P.E.I. budget leaks
• MORE P.E.I. NEWS | Job numbers growing, but wages stubbornly low