File photo.
A band councillor on Key First Nation who is facing a series of drug charges has been suspended “effective immediately.”
The suspension announcement from Key Chief Rodney Brass comes just one day after Mounties pulled up to a house Key First Nation reserve at around 4:45 a.m. on Tuesday.
One of their first moves was to arrest band councillor Clarence Papequash. Officers spent at least four and a half hours executing their search warrant, which was granted under the Controlled Drugs and Substance Act, said Kamsack detachment Staff Sergeant Greg Todd.
He wasn’t prepared to comment specifically on what officers found, but did say they seized “several pills, drugs that were controlled substances, and weapons.”
Todd said his detachment consulted with the RCMP’s drug unit and have now laid a total of 10 charges: five for drug possession for the purpose of trafficking, four for firearms-related offences, and one for possession of stolen property.
This isn’t the first time Papequash has faced drug possession and trafficking charges.
He is a former chief, who was forced to resign in 2014 when he entered a guilty plea in connection with a prescription drug ring on the reserve. He served a six-month conditional sentence after selling half a morphine pill to a man working for the RCMP.
Papequash was reelected in October, this time as a band councillor.
MBC contacted current Chief Rodney Brass, who wasn’t willing to speak on the record but did provide a statement.
He says Papequash is being suspended effectively immediately, and in the meantime chief and council will be reviewing all their options.
Todd said he views the events of Tuesday as a success.
“I think it’s a good day for the community. There is a very severe drug problem in Kamsack and surrounding area, and it has mainly to do with pills,” he said.
He said their investigation is only focused on Papequash at this time.
Papequash appeared before a judge in Yorkton Wednesday morning. He’s been remanded into custody until a bail hearing that’s set for Feb. 22.