Prince George RCMP seized an assortment of drugs as well as a gun and ammunition when its downtown safety unit executed three search warrants at the Knights Inn earlier this month.
The haul included "large quantities" of illicit prescription drugs; suspected cocaine, fentanyl and methamphetamine; cash and equipment consistent with drug trafficking.
Police also seized a gun and ammunition from one of the rooms.
"This is concerning to police as these individuals are targeting those most at-risk in our community and perpetuating the cycle of violence," Cpl. Jennifer Cooper said in a statement.
RCMP took the step on January 13 and say police are meeting with the management staff to provide advice on deterring any further criminal activity at the site.
"It's probably going to be very specific to the clientele that's there and the purpose that that unit is serving currently," Cooper said in an interview.
As per RCMP policy, police did not specifically name the location, limiting its description to a "commercial dwelling unit on the 600 block of Dominion Street." However, Knights Inn is the only establishment in that hundred block to fit the description.
The 44-unit motel is being leased by BC Housing for a two-year period while Prince George Native Friendship Centre has been contracted to operate the site as supported housing for people who would otherwise be living outside or in emergency shelters.
Charges remain pending completion of forensic work on the items seized. In the case of the drugs, Cooper said that typically takes about 18 months because they need to be sent to a lab out of town to confirm their composition but for the firearm and ammunition a "considerably shorter" matter of weeks because some of the work can now be done in Prince George.
Cooper said getting the items off the streets will mean less harm to those in "our at-risk community" and help reduce the frequency of petty crime.
"It's so cyclical," Cooper said. "That's what drives up our B&Es and stuff like that, our non-violent crime. They've got to get the money from somewhere, right?"
