A 31-year-old RCMP officer in Saskatchewan has been charged with drug trafficking.
Michael Chachula, a seven-year member of the RCMP, was arrested Monday in Swift Current and charged with trafficking cocaine and ecstasy.
“This is unacceptable and we understand the public expects more of us,” RCMP superintendent Alfredo Bangloy said in a media release.
Mounties received a criminal complaint regarding Chachula, who was stationed in Swift Current, in April 2014. The complaint prompted RCMP to request an external investigation from the Moose Jaw Police Service.
Moose Jaw police uncovered information unrelated to the original complaint, which led the RCMP’s major crime unit in Saskatchewan to investigate Chachula for controlled drugs and substances offences.
“It is never easy to speak about investigations like these. It’s very disheartening that a serving police officer, sworn to uphold the law, is facing criminal charges,” said Bangloy.
Chachula is also the subject of an internal code of conduct investigation, Mounties said.
He has been suspended with pay and released on bail. He will be making his first court appearance in Swift Current on Feb. 18.
