On Jan. 20, 2025, a Grande Prairie RCMP member was conducting proactive patrols in the area of 101 Street, Grande Prairie, when a traffic stop was initiated on a vehicle.
Grande Prairie RCMP members began observing suspicious behaviour from the driver upon initiating the traffic stop such as the driver attempting to exit the vehicle, fidgeting within the vehicle and trying to argue with the RCMP member.
Through investigation, the driver and lone occupant, Jonathan Allan Austin (41), a resident of Grande Prairie, was arrested for possession under $5000 obtained by crime, and then 7 counts of possession of a controlled substance for the purpose of trafficking.
RCMP members additionally seized: 224 grams of suspected cocaine, 7 grams of suspected methamphetamine, 17 tablets of suspected alprazolam, 10 units of suspected lysergic acid diethylamide, 10 units of suspected methylenedioxymethamphetamine, 10 units of suspected oxycodone, and 3.65 grams of suspected heroin, some general drug paraphernalia, and ammunition.
Austin was brought before a Justice of the Peace, where he was remanded with a court date of Jan. 22, 2025 at the Alberta Court of Justice in Grande Prairie.