Hippie nemesis Abe Snidanko dies at 79

In the 1960s, the name Abe Snidanko sent chills up the spine of every hippie in Vancouver. Snidanko worked undercover with the RCMP drug squad, and busted numerous longhairs for pot and other drugs.
Snidanko’s fame went international when former Vancouverite Tommy Chong used him as the inspiration for Sgt. Stadanko, the opening track on Cheech and Chong’s 1973 comedy album Los Cochinos.
The fictional Sgt. Stadanko also appeared in the Cheech and Chong films Up in Smoke and Nice Dream