One man arrested for possession of stolen property has since been released pending further investigation following a RCMP-led raid on a squatters’ camp March 1 off of a forest service road near Jack Talstra Way just north of the Northwest Regional Airport.
The raid by RCMP officers along with provincial conservation officers and City of Terrace bylaw officers followed some months of what a RCMP release described as monitoring suspicious activity at the location.
“Squatters had set up a make shift camp in this area and [police] suspected the sole purpose of the camp was to facilitate crime,” the release indicated.
The camp is on City of Terrace land and city officials and others were also concerned about the amount of litter.
The arrested man was the sole occupant of the camp when RCMP officers and the others arrived.
He was issued a ticket for attracting dangerous wildlife, a city trespass notice and told to leave.
His arrest came after RCMP officers noticed stolen property.
A search warrant for vehicles and structures was then obtained and, according to the RCMP release, “police located and seized prohibited weapons, a firearm, over 400 grams of suspected illicit opioids, and various items suspected to be stolen including motorcycles, a chainsaw, and propane tanks.”
Police believe there are other individuals connected to the location.
The release did not indicate what might now happen with the accumulated vehicles, structures and debris at the location.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Terrace RCMP at 250-638-7400 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.