VANCOUVER -- Mounties in B.C. are using an entirely unglamourous example in an attempt to dissuade youth from joining a gang.
The example was outlined by officers in Surrey in a news release titled, "Drug stash found in rectum highlights the reality of gang life."
The RCMP detachment used the example from late last week of an encounter with a drug trafficking suspect to illustrate this particular aspect of life as a gangster.
The news release, issued Wednesday, comes amid escalating violence between gangs in B.C.'s Lower Mainland. Several shootings have been reported recently, some of which have been fatal.
In an effort to counter the aspects of gang life that may attract a young person looking for somewhere to fit in, such as flashy cars and cash, they're sharing details of a less attractive part of that lifestyle.
"A drug-filled dialer-bag pulled from the rectum of a drug trafficker provides Surrey RCMP with an opportunity to educate would-be gang associates," the detachment wrote.
The bag was discovered following a traffic stop in the province's second-most populous city on May 14.
Police say they pulled over the driver of a rental car to investigate an unnamed offence under the Motor Vehicle Act.
It is alleged that during this interaction, they noticed "evidence consistent with drug trafficking," and arrested the male driver and passenger.
Police say both men were searched following their arrest, and it was then that the bag containing what police believe was crack and powder cocaine was discovered.
It was found, according to the RCMP, "protruding from the rectum of the vehicle's passenger."
Officers say that it contained 18 rocks of suspected crack cocaine and 26 spitballs of suspected powder cocaine. The substances are being tested, and charges are pending.
"There are gang members on social media trying to sell the idea that gang life is a life of wealth, luxury and prestige," Surrey RCMP Const. Sarbjit Sangha said in the statement.
"The reality is that gang members live in constant fear of getting robbed or murdered by other gang members, or getting arrested by police. This is the reason why they risk their lives by sticking bags of deadly drugs into their rectums."
Mounties say they're sharing the story as part of a commitment to "shattering the image associated to the gang lifestyle."