Bail denied for alleged cocaine trafficker

A Prince Albert man accused of possessing more than a pound of cocaine for the purposes of trafficking was denied bail today by a provincial court judge.

Officers from the Prince Albert Police Service and the Integrated Enforcement Street Team arrested Michael T. Wiegers, 40, on Dec. 21 during a traffic stop. The police report alleges Wiegers had 6.2 grams of methamphetamine on him when he was arrested, and subsequent investigation of a nearby rural property led police to discover and seize nearly 600 grams of cocaine in individually-wrapped one-ounce packages. He is also facing unrelated drug and stolen property charges.

Federal Crown Prosecutor Dan Heffernan said Wiegers was initially stopped by police because they knew he was on a 24-hour curfew except to attend work. When he told police he had been working on a friend’s dog kennel, Heffernan said the officers questioned why he had no tools and visited the property to investigate. The kennel, Heffernan said, showed no signs of recent repair or construction, but police located a duffel bag inside containing the cocaine.

“We’re talking about some $50,000 worth of cocaine,” Heffernan told the court.