Hometown TV12 Reports Constantin Kontopidis, 32, of Toronto Is Charged With Possession for the Purpose of Trafficking, Carrying a Concealed Weapon and Driving With a Handheld Communication Device After an Ontario Provincial Police Officer Who Saw a Driver Using a Phone Stopped a Vehicle on Highway 401 Near Lansdowne, and That Illegal Cannabis With a Reported Street Value of $680,000 Was Seized (October 16, 2026)

Hometown TV12 Brockville and My Kemptville Now both reported on Friday, October 16, 2026 that an Ontario Provincial Police officer who saw a driver using a phone stopped a vehicle on Highway 401 near Lansdowne, Ontario, and that illegal cannabis, a knife and items commonly associated with drug trafficking were seized. Hometown TV12 names the accused as Constantin Kontopidis, 32, of Toronto, and reports he is charged with possession for the purpose of trafficking, carrying a concealed weapon and driving with a handheld communication device. Both outlets put the street value of the cannabis at $680,000 and both report the charges are to be dealt with in Brockville in December; Hometown TV12 reports the driver was released from custody and is scheduled to appear before the Ontario Court of Justice. The two outlets give different quantities for the cannabis.

The Stop and the Charges

Hometown TV12 reports that police said in a press release that an OPP officer conducted the stop after observing a driver using their phone. It lists the Leeds County OPP as the contact for anyone with information and credits its photograph to OPP East Region. My Kemptville Now reports that an officer stopped a vehicle on Highway 401 near Lansdowne and attributes the seizure to the OPP. Neither outlet gives a calendar date for the stop; both say it happened on a Wednesday. Neither outlet says who laid the charges.

Both outlets report the same three charges, and My Kemptville Now introduces its list with the word “including.” My Kemptville Now does not name the accused, describing him only as a 32-year-old Toronto resident.

How Much Cannabis Was Seized

The two outlets do not agree, and neither is internally consistent. The Hometown TV12 headline and body put the seizure at about 340 pounds, while its introduction and page metadata say 360 pounds. The My Kemptville Now headline says more than 300 kilograms, while its body says 40 pounds. The one figure the two outlets share is the street value, $680,000. This briefing reports all four published quantities and adopts none of them.

The Weapon Count

Hometown TV12 reports that a knife was seized along with the cannabis and the trafficking items, and that one of the charges is carrying a concealed weapon. Neither outlet describes the knife beyond that, and neither ties the weapon count to any particular item.

Constantin Kontopidis is presumed innocent, and none of the charges reported here has been tested in court. The allegations are those of the police, as reported by Hometown TV12 Brockville and My Kemptville Now. No gang or criminal organization has been named in connection with this case.