Police seize 17 grams of meth in roadside stop in St. Catharines

Police in St. Catharines seized almost 17 grams of methamphetamine after a 50-year-old man was stopped for driving while his license was suspended.

Niagara Regional Police were using an Automated License Plate Recognition (ALPR) reader on the evening of Jan. 30 when the machine recognized a suspended driver.

The individual was listed as the registered owner of a Mazda3 sedan, which officers saw travelling north on Hartzel Rd. near Walnut St. shortly before 9 p.m.

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Police pulled over the driver, confirmed that they were the registered owner, and subsequently put the man under arrest.

Upon searching the man’s vehicle, officers found 16.9 grams of suspected crystal methamphetamine.

Kevin Lee Bentum, 50, of Niagara-on-the-Lake has been charged with the possession of crystal methamphetamine and driving while under suspension.

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Bentum was released from custody on a Form 9 Appearance Notice and is scheduled to appear in court in St. Catharines at the end of February.

Anyone with information related to this investigation is asked to contact the officer-in-charge by dialing 905-688-4111, option 3, ext. 1009558.