The BC Highway Patrol arrested a 28-year-old Surrey man after seizing 73 kilograms of cocaine from a vehicle during a traffic stop in the Shuswap Country on Highway 1 near Malakwa.

Cpl. Michael McLaughlin said the Oct. 8 roadblock was manned by the BC Highway Patrol鈥檚 Traffic Safety Unit (Police Dog Service), Sicamous RCMP, and the Integrated Impaired Driving Unit.

"The driver, who was the sole occupant of the vehicle, has been released with conditions and is scheduled to appear in court at a later date. The driver will not be identified until charges are approved. The investigation remains ongoing and the vehicle was seized," McLaughlin said. 

Insp. Lori Orstad, in charge of BC Highway Patrol's special traffic operations, said the "preliminary investigation would suggest that this has all the earmarks of organized crime.

"This is a very large amount of drugs so certainly expect to see an impact on the illegal drug trafficking operations within the province," Orstad added.