Red Deer Justice Centre (Image Credit: Josh Hall/rdnewsNOW)

By Sheldon Spackman

November 2024 Incident

Man charged in drug and weapons seizure scheduled for trial

Jan 16, 2026 | 12:54 PM

Trial dates have been scheduled for a man charged in connection to a significant drug seizure which occurred as local Mounties were investigating an assault. 

Michael Alan Stephanson, 40, of Red Deer County, is scheduled for trial in Red Deer Court of Justice from July 6-7, 2026. 

It was on Nov. 9, 2024, when RCMP were called to a rural property west of Dickson, Alta, a small community about 33 km west of Innisfail. 

While at the property for an assault, police found grounds to believe the suspect possessed drugs and illegal weapons. 

A search warrant then obtained, allowed for the seizure of: 

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• Suspected Cocaine; 

• Suspected Fentanyl; 

• Suspected Methamphetamine; 

• Suspected GHB; 

• Drug trafficking paraphernalia; 

• .22 Caliber Handgun; 

• Sawed off Shotgun (prohibited Firearm); 

• Long Barrel Rifles(x3); 

• Shotguns (x3); 

• Hundreds of rounds of ammunition. 

Michael Stephanson was charged with the following: 

• Assault; 

• Possession for the purpose of trafficking; 

• Unauthorized possession of firearms; 

• Possession of firearms w/o holding licence; 

• Possession of a weapon for dangerous purpose. 

Stephanson was taken before a justice of the peace and released for a court appearance later that month. 

Related: Innisfail RCMP make drug seizure near Dickson