A large police presence in Valleyview on Sunday led to two loaded guns and roughly half a kilo of illegal drugs being seized during a traffic stop.

At roughly 4:30 p.m. that day, A Kamloops Mountie patrolling the 1700-block of the East Trans Canada Highway, saw a vehicle with a partially obstructed license plate, and pulled it over as a result.

Upon approaching the vehicle, the officer quickly recognized the driver as a man known to police who had a history of firearms offences.

Kamloops RCMP Superintendent Jeff Pelley says due to risks associated to dealing with an offender known to have a violent history, the officer requested backup.

“The driver quickly became uncooperative, refused to exit the vehicle, and made multiple attempts to access his handbag – where a loaded firearm was later discovered.”

Pelley says multiple backup units arrived and extracted the driver out of the vehicle, after a struggle continued even after he was out.

Two passengers were arrested and a second loaded handgun was located in the backseat, next to where a passenger was sitting.

“This was a very high-risk situation that clearly illustrates the dangers our officers can be presented with every time they conduct a traffic stop, attend a request to check someone’s wellbeing, or respond to a suspicious circumstances report,” added Pelley.

“Thanks to the investigator’s quick risk assessment and the fast response of backup officers, this situation ended with the arrest of three people, the seizure of two firearms, the removal of approximately half a kilo of suspected fentanyl; and the safe return of the attending officers to their families.”

The vehicle’s driver, a Surrey man in his 20s, was held in police custody, then released. A warrant has been issued for his arrest.

The passengers, a man and woman, were also arrested at scene and were later released, pending the ongoing investigation.