Pubdate: Fri, 25 Jan 2013
Source: Evening News, The (CN NS)
Section: Front Page
Copyright: 2013 The Evening News
Contact:  http://www.ngnews.ca/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3343

RECORD BATH SALTS BUST IN PICTOU COUNTY

The largest-ever seizure of bath salts in Canada was made by police
Wednesday in Lyons Brook, Pictou County.

About $375,000 worth of the street drug, along with $5,000 of
marijuana, was seized by police in the bust.

The Pictou County Integrated Street Crime Enforcement Unit, with the
assistance of the Pictou County RCMP, arrested two people in the case
after an ongoing drug investigation.

At 8 p.m. on Wednesday Jordan Stewart, age 22 from Lyons Brook, was
arrested after a vehicle stop was conducted in Lyons Brook. Police
found marijuana in the vehicle. Police then executed a search warrant
at a residence in Lyons Brook where an adult female, age 20, from
Pictou, was arrested. During a search of the residence, officers
located approximately six pounds of a substance believed to be
methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV, which is also known as bath salts),
a quantity of cannabis marijuana and a small quantity of cannabis resin.

The substance suspected to be MDPV, will be sent to Health Canada for
analysis and confirmation.

The street value of bath salts is around $150 per gram, said Const.
Ken MacDonald of the New Glasgow Regional Police Services and street
crime members estimated the total quantity they seized would be worth
around $375,000.

Charges stemming from this investigation include: possession for the
purpose of trafficking MDPV, possession of cannabis marijuana and
possession of cannabis resin.

The woman was released from custody and will appear in Pictou
Provincial Court on March 25. Stewart has been released on
recognizance with strict conditions.

MacDonald said the unit is happy to have made this
seizure.

"Any synthetic drug seizure of any quantity improves the safety of our
community," he said. "This is significant because of its large quantity." 
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MAP posted-by: Jo-D