5-Mar-10 2:00 PM CST

$100K of Rhino-Stamped Coke Seized by Cops

White rhino is a slang term for high-grade marijuana.

But it seems the rhinoceros, that mammoth horned mammal known for its aggression, is also associated with high-grade cocaine.

A one-kilogram brick of cocaine seized by the Edmonton Drug and Gang Enforcement (EDGE) team last weekend bore the stamp of a charging rhino.

Although they’re unfamiliar with the rhino logo, city police say they see various stamps on coke seizures every so often.

“It’s like a stamp of authenticity,” said Insp. Greg Preston, of the EPS Organized Crime Branch.

The high-level dealers that stamped the coke want their customers to know that it came from them and it’s “good stuff,” Preston explained.

Such quality-assurance logos aren’t that common and usually indicate the drugs originate from a large criminal organization, he added.

“We’re not sure where the stamp was actually embossed,” Preston said. “It could’ve been stamped in South America, if that’s where it came from. It could’ve been stamped in Vancouver.”

The kilo of coke, valued on the street at about $100,000, was seized early on Feb. 27 from a truck officers pulled over on Yellowhead Trail near 142 Street. The male and female occupants of the vehicle had driven from Vancouver.

Police also seized a small amount of marijuana.

Fook Yong, 44, and Carly Derhak, 21, were charged with possession for the purpose of trafficking and simple possession.

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