An Iqaluit man caught with 35 grams of marijuana had his court case thrown out because the RCMP were not justified in pulling over a car he was travelling in.

Last December, the Iqaluit RCMP got a call from the Baffin Correctional Centre. The caller said someone was delivering marijuana to inmates, and suggested a blue "town car" might be involved.

The RCMP pulled over a vehicle near the centre about a half hour later. The car smelled of marijuana and the three men inside admitted they’d just smoked a joint.

The officer arrested all three of them and found the marijuana in a search.

Isaacky Naglingniq was one of the passengers. This summer, he went to court to argue that the police officer violated his right not to be arbitrarily detained and searched.

Justice Sue Cooper agreed. In a written judgment, Cooper said the RCMP officer did not have enough detailed information to justify pulling over the car.