The RNC is adapting to the apparent spike in drug and gun crimes in metro and its other jurisdictions in the province.

The reassurance was made during a news conference Friday following the latest bust in St. John’s on Thursday.

A home on Merrymeeting Road was raided, with drugs and guns seized and three people arrested.

They’re facing mostly firearms charges for now, but police say drug charges are pending.

Forty-year-old man Zwelakhe Mhlongo from Ontario is charged with nine counts of breaching a firearm prohibition order and one count of possessing a firearm knowing it’s unauthorized.

Thirty-one-year-old Candice Nembhard, also from Ontario, faces one count of possession of a prohibited firearm.

And 43-year-old Tyler Cannon of St. John’s is charged with three counts of breaching a firearm prohibition order, possession of a prohibited firearm, as well as breaching probation and conditional sentence orders.

RNC display drugs, cash and guns seized during a raid yesterday at a home on Merrymeeting Road in St. John’s. @VOCMNEWS pic.twitter.com/iIbqyXQRYK

— Brian Callahan (@briancallahan67) September 15, 2023

RNC Constable James Cadigan says the surge in such crimes is not lost on the police.

“Without going too far into it, the RNC is making adjustments and shifts in directions to focus on firearms and drugs and the way that they correlate in our communities,” he said.

“I don’t think it’s a surprise for me to say that when we find firearms, we find drugs, and the other way around. One essentially goes hand-in-hand with the other.”

All three accused appeared in provincial court Friday morning, formally read the charges, and returned to jail.

The Ontario residents have bail hearings set for next Wednesday, while Cannon agreed to remain in custody until his next court appearance on October 6.