Traffic stop results in seizure of loaded handgun and crack cocaine, along with impaired driving charge

A weekend traffic stop for a suspected impaired driver led to Thunder Bay police finding a loaded handgun.

Police said officers observed a vehicle in the Court Street area on Saturday evening that was being driven in a way that led them to believe the driver might be impaired. 

The vehicle was pulled over a short time later on Fort William Road after the officers noticed further erratic driving.

Police said officers noticed signs of impairment and a field sobriety test and analysis from a drug recognition expert determined the driver was under the influence of drugs.

The driver and passenger were found to be in possession of crack cocaine.

The passenger in the vehicle, a 20-year-old man from Toronto, was found to be in possession of a firearm. He faces several charges, including possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose, carrying a concealed weapon, careless use of a firearm and possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking.

The driver, a 49-year-old Thunder Bay woman, has been charged with impaired driving and possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking.

Both appeared in bail court on Sunday and remain in custody.