Whitecourt RCMP got to use some new drug screening equipment while investigating an impaired driver.
Whitecourt RCMP report that, on May 11, 2022, shortly before noon, they conducted a traffic stop with a suspicious SUV parked on Sunset Boulevard. The male driver was found sleeping in the driver’s seat and there was drug paraphernalia observed in the vehicle.
The driver was detained while RCMP carried out an impaired operation of a motor vehicle investigation.
RCMP Traffic Services, consisting of an RCMP Drug Recognition Expert and Alberta Sheriffs, came out to the scene to assist. The Alberta Sheriffs were recently trained and equipped with the Drager Drugtest Approved Drug Screening Equipment (ADSE) device. The ADSE device is the only approved device for roadside testing in Alberta. It has the ability to test for THC and cocaine using a roadside saliva sample.
An Alberta Sheriff used the ADSE device, and the male driver tested positive for cocaine.
As a result, the driver was issued a 90 day license suspension, a 30 day vehicle seizure, and violation tickets under both the Gaming Liquor and Cannabis Act and the Traffic Safety Act.