Automatic licence plate reader finds suspended Ontario driver, $20K worth of drugs: police

The Ontario Provincial Police say their automatic licence plate readers alerted them to a suspended driver, alongside $20,000 worth of illicit drugs.

Police said on April 17, they conducted a traffic stop on Highway 11 in the township of Armour, an hour south of North Bay.

Their automatic licence plate recognition (ALPR) technology notified police there of a suspended driver, the force said.

“Additionally, police seized amounts of suspected cocaine, methamphetamine, Oxycodone pills, digital scale, baggies, debt list, and cell phones,” police said, adding that the estimated street value for the drugs seized was approximately $20,000.

Both the driver and a passenger were arrested.

A 37-year-old and a 56-year-old from West Nipissing face several charges, including possession of substances such as cocaine, opioids and methamphetamine for the purpose of trafficking. The driver was also charged with driving while under suspension.

Police forces across Ontario have been using ALPR technology in their cruisers to assist in keeping roads safer.

ALPRs are camera systems that photograph licence plates. All plates within the camera’s scanning range are captured automatically. As the system scans and captures images, officers receive a “hit” when a plate matches one from their hotlist.

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