Information provided by the public is responsible for a cocaine bust carried out last Sunday in Carmacks, RCMP Const. Don McPhee emphasized this morning.

Two Ross River men were arrested and charged with drug trafficking.

That happened after RCMP officers pulled over and later searched a red 1999 Ford Escort at the intersection of the North Klondike and Robert Campbell highways.

Jason Tyler Chapman, 31, and Benjamin Joseph Bellefeuille, 38, have been released from custody.

They are scheduled to appear in court Oct. 18 to face a charge of possessing cocaine for the purpose of trafficking.

Police seized 21 grams of coke, small amounts of crack cocaine and marijuana, as well as drug paraphernalia, says a detachment press release issued this morning.

McPhee said the Carmacks RCMP do not want to place a street value on the drugs, as prices in small communities can differ signficantly from Whitehorse to Vancouver. He did confirm the value is in the thousands of dollars.

'We are crediting the information received from the public as basically being responsible for this drug bust,' McPhee said.

'That is the information we want to get out there, that the public can make a difference, and we will work with the information they provide us.

'The public was active and pretty much responsible for getting these drugs off the streets.'

McPhee said there needs to be solid information to begin an investigation like the one that resulted in Sunday's arrests.

The police, however, are interested in hearing from those who may not have first-hand knowledge of activities, but have general information of interest to the RCMP, he said.

McPhee said once officers pulled over the vehicle, which was east-bound toward Faro and Ross River, evidence present in the car was used to obtain a search warrant and conduct a further investigation.

That investigation is continuing.