Listen to this article
Estimated 4 minutes
The audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology. Mispronunciations can occur. We are working with our partners to continually review and improve the results.
The Mounties have arrested four men after several RCMP vehicles were damaged following a raid on a cannabis shop in Potlotek First Nation earlier this month.
More than a dozen Cape Breton RCMP officers were trapped behind a barricade in Potlotek as community members protested the police raid on April 2. Officers had to leave on foot, leaving behind seven vehicles in the First Nation, which is located about 75 kilometres south of Sydney, N.S.
RCMP officers returned the next day to find broken windows, flat tires and what they said were “urine-soaked” interiors in six of the vehicles.
Sgt. Brad Kelly, Richmond County detachment commander, said no weapons were left behind in the vehicles, but three sets of hard body armour are missing.
;Resize%3D796)
He said the priority now is to get those back and the RCMP are hoping someone will come forward with information, or the items.
“People out there, they know where it is,” he said. “People have information on it.
“I’d be happy even if it just showed up at the detachment all in one piece and returned to us. That would be great.”
;Resize%3D796)
Kelly said most of the vehicles have been repaired and are back in service. He couldn’t say how much it cost, but said it was “significant.”
After the incident, community leaders in Potlotek said they do not condone vandalism of police equipment.
Raid sparked protests
The police raid on the cannabis shop in the Mi’kmaw community of about 600 people sparked protest from other First Nations across the province. Members of Sipekne’katik First Nation and Millbrook First Nation blocked a lane on Highway 102, the main highway linking Halifax and northern Nova Scotia, for several hours.
Protests were also staged on both highways connecting Sydney and the Canso Causeway, slowing traffic for several hours.
;Resize%3D796)
Premier Tim Houston blasted the protests, calling for the RCMP to be supported. Houston maintained there is no recognized treaty right to sell cannabis. He said the unregulated market is dangerous because of packaging that looks like candy, high THC levels and a lack of oversight.
The premier has called on First Nations leadership to work with the province to “move towards safe, regulated dispensaries in communities where profits can stay in the community.”
But for many Mi’kmaw leaders, it’s not just about unlicensed shops.
“Time and again, Mi’kmaq are forced to respond when provincial laws and enforcement actions are imposed on our communities without respect for our rights, our leadership or our authority,” Potlotek First Nation said in a news release.
“What continues to unfold is part of a broader pattern of infringement on Mi’kmaw rights within Mi’kma’ki.”
No change to how RCMP enforce cannabis law
Kelly said the RCMP’s experience in Potlotek will not change how the Mounties enforce the provincial cannabis law.
“As long as there’s illegal cannabis storefronts that are out there, there’ll likely be further enforcement action taken,” he said.
“We’re still going to work with the community. We’re going to continue to try and just build and maintain trust with the Indigenous communities that we police.”
He said RCMP still have a good relationship with the community despite the incident.
“We’ve been working with Potlotek and the community there and we’ve got a lot of support from them since this has happened,” he said.
“Throughout the incident members of the community, they’ve really stepped forward. They have assisted us with getting the vehicles back and with finding out who damaged the vehicles.”
Kelly said RCMP used multiple search warrants to look for video footage of the incident and to recover items taken from the vehicles.
At one home that police searched, officers found a loaded SKS rifle with a high-capacity magazine and a shotgun.
Three of the suspects are charged with mischief under $5,000. One is charged with six counts of mischief over $5,000, 24 more counts of mischief and one count of possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose.
The men are from Potlotek, the nearby community of River Bourgeois, and Membertou First Nation.
MORE TOP STORIES
