VETERAN PEEL POLICE OFFICER CHARGED WITH POSSESSION

A veteran Peel police officer, just months away from retirement, is accused
of stealing close to $2.6 million in seized cocaine and hashish from the
police property room where he worked.

"We believe he was acting alone, there were no other officers or members of
the service who were involved in this," said spokesman Sgt. Todd Moore.

The internal probe started 3 1/2 months ago, when police received
"information," Moore said.

Martin Goold, 59, of Mississauga was arrested Monday afternoon, moments
after leaving work at the new Peel police building on Derry Road E.

His car was stopped by Peel officers at Mississauga Road and Derry Road at
1:30 p.m. Police said they found six kg of cocaine in the trunk of the car.
Another five kg of hashish was found as police executed search warrants
following the arrest. The cocaine has a street value of $2.5 million.
Another 15 kg of hashish is still missing from the Morality Bureau's
property room.

The drugs were portions of two larger, separate seizures made by Morality
Bureau officers some time in the past four months. No charges were laid in
relation to the seizures and the drugs were destined for destruction.

Goold worked as the property co-coordinator in the Morality Bureau for the
past five years. He was not involved in any investigations, according to
spokesman Sgt. Todd Moore.

"There is no indication that any court proceedings will be compromised as a
result of this," Moore said.

Goold appeared in court briefly yesterday and is being held for a bail
hearing scheduled for April 15.

Meanwhile, procedures in handling seized drugs have been changed and police
are checking to find out if any other drugs are missing, according to Moore.

"Everything's been sealed and an audit is being done in the drug room to
ensure these were the only drugs taken, but we feel they were," he said.