Mounties in B.C.'s southern Interior say they don't have enough evidence to charge the owner of a helicopter, but they've seized it after a drug smuggling investigation.
Cpl. Annie Linteau says the Bell 206 JetRanger, worth an estimated $425,000, was seized on May 17 from a property in Spallumcheen, north of Vernon.
She says it is now being held under the Civil Forfeiture Act, although a lack of evidence has forced the RCMP to quit pursuing any charges against the 33-year-old owner.
Linteau says Mounties in Nelson started investigating after a suspicious helicopter was seen flying in an area near Vernon over a two-year period.
Police believed the Bell 206 was being used by a criminal organization to smuggle cocaine into Canada from the U.S.
Linteau says police hope its seizure forces smugglers to think twice before using similar methods in the future.
