326 cases of beer seized by OPP from vehicle on Hwy. 401

Officers of the Lennox and Addington (L&A) County Detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) say they have seized three hundred twenty-six cases of beer after officers responded to a disabled vehicle on Highway 401.

OPP explained that on November 1st, 2023, at around 2:10 p.m., officers were dispatched to a traffic hazard for a rental van with a blown tire on the shoulder of Highway 401 Westbound lanes. Police attended the area and found rim marks driving down Highway 401 on the Westbound shoulder. 

Police say the marks eventually became flatter indicating the rim was worn off and the vehicle was now running on the hub. Officers at the scene say the van was located approximately 1 km west of Highway 37. A traffic stop was initiated as the van was still moving. Police say when this happened the rear left wheel was beginning to smoke from heat. Officers add that the vehicle did stop for police without incident. 

When speaking with the driver officers say they noticed 4 cases of beer in the front passenger seat area. All of the cases had only French language on the box. When questioned about the beer police say the driver was evasive. When confronted about the transportation of the beer from Quebec the driver again became evasive. 

This sparked a further search of the vehicle for liquor and found the entire back of the van filled with beer cases. Police say, when unloaded the final count was 326 cases of 24 beer various brands with bottles and cans.

The driver had admitted that the liquor was not purchased at or through an authorized outlet for the sale of liquor in Ontario. He further revealed that the beer was for a wedding and not for his personal use. 

The van had been observed driving on the shoulder with the rim worn down to the hub in an unsafe condition. OPP says as a result of this, the driver was charged with unlawfully possessing liquor, unlawfully purchasing liquor, and operating an unsafe vehicle with a provincial court date to speak to the charges. The liquor was seized and the van was towed from the highway. 

With files by CFRA's Connor Ray