2 facing drug charges after traffic stop near Maidstone, Sask.

Two people are facing drug trafficking charges after a traffic stop near Maidstone, Sask., last week.

The Saskatchewan RCMP roving traffic unit said they pulled the vehicle over for speeding and an equipment violation on Highway 16.

The traffic stop on Dec. 13 turned into a drug trafficking investigation due to “several factors” that will be presented in the court process, according to a press release.

Officers found 143 grams of suspected cocaine and crack cocaine in the vehicle, police said. A small amount of cannabis was also seized.

The driver, 26-year-old Besmellah Bakhshi, and Miguel Pineda, 25, are facing charges of possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking and failing to comply with a recognizance.

The accused have been remanded into custody and were scheduled to make their first Lloydminster provincial court appearances on Dec. 16.

RCMP said Bakhshi is from Edmonton and Pineda hails from Regina.

Maidstone is approximately 205 kilometres northwest of Saskatoon.