A man revving the engine on his boat has led to drug trafficking charges in Wasaga Beach.
Police say on Saturday at 1:55 p.m., a member of the Marine Unit with the Huronia West Detachment of the OPP was parked at Sturgeon Point Marina, when the officer heard the engine of a vessel revving up and down and saw a man seated at the steering wheel of a boat, moving the throttle back and forth while still moored.
The officer approached the man and asked him to shut off the engine, but apparently he had issues turning the key.
Police say the operator showed other signs of impairment and was quickly taken into custody.
A search of the vessel found several plastic baggies and paraphernalia related to drug trafficking, along with purple and white substances and a quantity of cash totalling $2,120.
As a result of the investigation, Nicolino EVANGELISTI, 55 years of age, of Toronto, Ontario, was arrested and charged with the following offences:
- Operation while impaired – alcohol and drugs – contrary to Section 320.14(1)(a) of the Criminal Code
- Operation while impaired – blood alcohol concentration (80 plus) – contrary to Section 320.14(1)(b) of the Criminal Code
- Possession of property obtained by crime under $5,000 – contrary to Section 354(1)(a) of the Criminal Code
- Possession of a Schedule I substance for the purpose of trafficking – contrary to Section 5(2) of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act
The accused was held for a bail hearing on July 5, 2020.
#HurWOPP Marine Unit investigated an impaired vessel operator on July 4 in #WasagaBeach. Officers located drug trafficking paraphernalia, cash and suspected purple heroin inside the boat. Operator charged and held for bail. Report #Impaired vessel operation to #OPP. ^dmh pic.twitter.com/eP3EnMyUhh
— OPP Central Region (@OPP_CR) July 6, 2020
