Twelve current, former soldiers face drug charges
Posted Jun 16, 2010 4:01 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Military police say a dozen current and former soldiers from a Canadian forces base in Alberta are facing a total of 70 drug-related charges.
A military spokesman says the most serious charges are against two soldiers from CFB Wainwright for the manufacture and trafficking of a hallucinogenic drug called DMT.
Other drugs identified in the investigation include ecstasy, marijuana, cocaine and prescription narcotics.
The arrests were made under the National Defence Act and the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act.
The military announced in April that four soldiers had been arrested on suspicion of drug activity.
The director of military prosecutions must now decide whether to proceed to a court martial.
A toll-free hotline is being set up in Western Canada and the North to allow callers to remain anonymous with any concerns about drug use on a military base.
The Canadian Forces has a zero-tolerance policy on drug abuse.Random drug testing can be done at any time, and all troops shipping out to Afghanistan are subject to a short-notice urine test.
CFB Wainwright is Western Canada’s major training ground. Soldiers there are primarily honing their combat skills before deploying to Afghanistan.
