Victoria police uncover gun, drugs hidden in vehicle’s secret compartment

A search of the suspect’s vehicle revealed a hidden compartment that had been professionally installed to obscure its contents, Victoria police said. (Handout)

Police in Victoria say one man was arrested and more than three kilograms of drugs were seized after investigators searched a home and a vehicle that contained a hidden compartment earlier this month.

The four-week drug-trafficking investigation culminated in a raid on the Bear Mountain residence on Feb. 7, the Victoria Police Department said in a statement Tuesday.

Police seized a kilogram of fentanyl, several ounces of cocaine and methamphetamine, 20 litres of gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB) and $105,000 in cash, according to the statement.

A large quantity of the drugs were packaged in one-ounce bags, according to investigators.

One man was arrested inside the home and was released without charges pending further investigation.

A search of the suspect’s vehicle revealed a hidden compartment that had been professionally installed to obscure its contents, police said.

Investigators used X-ray imaging to locate the compartment and were able to gain access to it by pressing a specific sequence of buttons inside the vehicle.

Once the secret hold was opened, it was found to contain a kilogram of cocaine, 500 grams each of fentanyl and methamphetamine and a loaded Glock handgun with a bag of ammunition, the statement said.

“Targeting drug traffickers remains a priority for our department, and this operation is just one of many successful outcomes in our ongoing efforts,” Victoria police Chief Del Manak said.

Last summer, police seized several guns, thousands of rounds of ammunition and four and a half kilograms of cocaine from a home in the same Langford neighbourhood.

One man was arrested at the Bear Mountain residence on June 25 and was similarly released from custody without charges.