Police arrested three men and seized 32 counterfeit bars of precious metal during a routine traffic stop in Saskatchewan earlier this month.
On Dec. 3, members of the Broadview combined traffic services were on patrol on Highway 1 near Broadview, Sask. They stopped a vehicle travelling eastbound for excessive speeding and discovered one of the three men in the vehicle had a warrant out for his arrest. After searching the vehicle, officers discovered a considerable amount of cash and 32 bars of gold and platinum with a street value of $50,000-$100,000; however, the bars were later found to be counterfeit, and the three men in the vehicle were determined to be suspects in a number of suspicious sales in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba.
Two Ontario men—Richard Blokhorstm, 25, and Mitchell Pye, 26—have been charged with possession of stolen property over $5,000. A third man—Michael Richards, 30, of Nova Scotia—was charged with possession of stolen property over $5,000 and possession of counterfeit money. They have been released from custody and are scheduled to appear in court on Jan. 25, 2017.