Yorkton cops seize 23 pounds of marijuana

A Yorkton man has been charged with possession of marijuana for the purpose of trafficking following a traffic stop near Theodore last night.

Acting on a lead from the Saskatoon Police Service drug unit, investigators from the RCMP's Yorkton rural detachment and members of the General Investigations Section (GIS) stopped Clark Protz on Highway 16 approximately 40 kilometres west of Yorkton.

Constable Jeff Ball, one of the arresting officers, said he could smell the illicit cargo from outside the SUV. Inside the truck, officers found a duffel bag filled with 23 pounds of bud in half-pound bags they suspect came from B.C., as well as, some drug trafficking paraphernalia.

Protz was released on a recognizance with a promise to appear in Yorkton provincial court on June 24.

Sgt. James Morton, head of the Yorkton GIS, declined to estimate the value of the dope, but at more than 10,000 grams it may have had a street value of $200,000-plus.