When the coffee was long gone, the empty can was filled with cash and heroin, and then buried just off the Duncan Bay logging road.
That was the pattern Campbell River RCMP discovered after they were tipped off about drug dealer Cong Le.
On Jan. 2, in provincial court, the 58-year-old Campbell River man was sentenced to a year behind bars after pleading guilty to possession of a controlled substance for the purpose of trafficking.
A co-accused in the case, Judith Kilcollins, 65, is scheduled to appear in court Jan. 13, to elect trial in either provincial or supreme court. She is also charged with possession for the purpose of trafficking.
According to prosecutor Oren Bick, police learned of drug transactions taking place at a specific location on the Duncan Bay Road, so they placed a surveillance camera at the scene.
Last year, from May 16 to June 15, the camera captured footage of a woman placing cash in the can, burying it, then calling Le who would later arrive, take the cash, replace it with heroin and then rebury the can. The woman would then come back, dig it up and take the drugs.
In total, Mounties observed 12 transactions involving approximately 3.5 ounces of heroin, with the female suspect typically depositing $1,100 each time into the can.
In addition to the jail time, Le must provide a DNA sample and is banned for life from possessing any firearms.