Castlegar RCMP have arrested two men after finding them in a stolen vehicle with a large quantity of suspected illegal drugs and an extra catalytic converter.
In the early morning hours of Sunday, Feb. 12, officers were conducting patrols at the summit of Bombi Pass on Highway 3 when they located a grey Volkswagen with two male occupants, according to a statement released by Cpl. James Grandy on Feb. 15. The vehicle had been reported stolen from Trail, B.C. on Nov. 26, 2022.
Both men were subsequently arrested for possessing stolen property.
A search of the vehicle resulted in the seizure of a cordless cutting tool, a catalytic converter, and a large quantity of suspected illegal drugs.
Police at the scene examined two other vehicles parked nearby and discovered one of them was missing its catalytic converter. They determined that the catalytic converter found in the stolen Volkswagen appeared to be the missing catalytic converter.
Police also discovered that the exhaust pipe of a second parked vehicle had been partially cut.
Catalytic converters are part of a vehicle’s exhaust system, they contain valuable metals including palladium, rhodium and platinum.
David Redding, a fifty-year-old from Fruitvale, was on court-ordered bail conditions not to occupy a driver’s seat of a motor vehicle at the time of his arrest. He has been charged with possession of stolen property under $5,000, and failing to comply with his release order.
Redding was remanded into custody pending a court appearance on Feb. 21.
The second accused, a thirty-three-year-old Fruitvale resident, was released from police custody on bail conditions to appear in Castlegar Provincial Court on April 5. His name was not released.
Police continue to investigate the matter including potential offences related to the suspected illegal drugs seized from the stolen vehicle.
Since the beginning of this year, Castlegar RCMP have received four separate reports of catalytic converter thefts. Last week, Trail RCMP reported a catalytic converter theft from a parking lot along Highway 22 near Oasis.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Castlegar RCMP at (250) 365-7721.
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