(NORTH BAY, ON) – Twelve drivers have been charged with impaired driving offences by the North Bay Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) in the month of July 2025. One of those individuals was arrested after a traffic stop for speeding, which led to the discovery of suspected drugs west of North Bay.
On Tuesday, July 8, 2025, at approximately 7:30 p.m., the North Bay OPP conducted a traffic stop on Highway 17, west of North Bay, after observing a vehicle speeding. Officers noticed cannabis products in the vehicle and determined the driver had consumed an intoxicating substance. The driver was arrested and transported to the North Bay OPP detachment for further testing. During a search of the vehicle incident to arrest, police seized suspected crystal methamphetamine, methamphetamine, and cannabis.
As a result of the investigation, Normand PIETTE, 48 years-of-age from Sturgeon Falls, has been charged with:
· Operation while impaired – drugs
· Operation while impaired – blood drug concentration
· Possession of a schedule I substance for the purpose of trafficking – crystal methamphetamine
· Possession of a schedule I substance – methamphetamine
· Drive vehicle with cannabis readily available
· Improper muffler – motor vehicle
· Drive with window coated – view obstructed
· Improper tires
· Operate unsafe vehicle
· Speeding – 118 km/h in a posted 80 km/hr zone
The accused was released from custody and is scheduled to appear before the Ontario Court of Justice in North Bay on Tuesday, September 2, 2025. Additionally, the individual received a 90-day Administrative Driver’s Licence Suspension (ADLS), and the vehicle was impounded for seven days.
The OPP continues to expand on its Drug Recognition Expert (DRE) program and Standardized Field Sobriety Testing (SFST), enhancing its ability to detect and evaluate drug-impaired drivers.