A special RCMP ‘F’ Division Crime Reduction Team arrested and charged a 24-year-old Meadow Lake resident with a number of drug-related offences following a traffic stop last week near Loon Lake.

During the traffic stop, which occurred around 10:15 p.m. Dec. 14, officers discovered the male driver – later identified when he made a court appearance as Cody Coverchuk – had been actively subject to court ordered conditions as a result of charges laid by Lloydminster RCMP earlier in 2018. Coverchuk was violating a number of those conditions and was subsequently arrested.

Further investigation led to the discovery of 21 grams of suspected methamphetamine and 20 grams of suspected cocaine.
An exact street value for the drugs found in Coverchuk’s possession was unknown by this week’s news deadline, but the RCMP did state it was a significant amount. Police also said prices associated with illegal drugs are dependant on supply and demand and are always changing.

Coverchuk, meanwhile, was remanded into custody and appeared in Meadow Lake provincial court Monday afternoon (Dec. 17) to answer to two counts of failure to comply with a recognizance, one count of possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking and one count of possession of methamphetamine for the purpose of trafficking.
Following Monday’s bail hearing, Coverchuk was released from custody and will next appear in court Jan. 21.

The Saskatchewan RCMP has two permanent Crime Reduction Teams (CRTs) operating in the province. Their mandate is to overtly target known criminals, prolific offenders, repeat offenders, and gang members to reduce crime and make Saskatchewan safer.

The two Crime Reduction Teams, based out of North Battleford and Prince Albert respectively, are completely mobile and travel to areas that require assistance where community safety has been identified as a concern.