Nunavut police seize 40 lbs of pot, arrest Iqaluit man

This is what 40 lbs of vacuum-packed pot looks like. RCMP “V” Division, with help from Ottawa Police Service and Ottawa RCMP, seized the marijuana Feb. 4 off Brian Czar who was travelling to Iqaluit from Ottawa. (RCMP PHOTO)

An Iqaluit man faces drug trafficking charges following his arrest by members of the Nunavut RCMP and the discovery of nearly 40 pounds of marijuana in his possession while he was travelling from Ottawa to Iqaluit, Feb. 4.

Brian Czar has been charged with possession of a controlled substance for the purpose of trafficking and will appear before a judge at Nunavut’s Court of Justice in Iqaluit, May 15.

Czar’s arrest stems from an investigation conducted by RCMP’s “V” Division Federal Operations Section into the importation of illegal drugs into Iqaluit that began in late January, according to a Feb. 9 media release.

Czar was identified and targeted with help from the RCMP Ottawa Detachment and the Ottawa Police Service, the release notes.

The bust is the biggest one of its kind in several years for the Nunavut detachment, according to the RCMP’s “V” Division media liaison, Const. Lurene Dillon.

And while the detachment no longer provides estimates for value of drugs seized—due to fluctuating prices—the street value of 40 pounds of marijuana in Iqaluit could be worth anywhere from $250,000 to $350,000.

Dillon confirmed to Nunatsiaq News that the RCMP does not suspect the bust is part of a larger crime syndicate operating in Iqaluit.