Accused convicted after trial of possession of fentanyl (454 pills with a street value of $9000), 1876 grams of cocaine ($187,000 value) and 769 grams of heroin ($192,000 value) for the purpose of trafficking. Accused was also in possession of two handguns and body armour. Youthful offender with no criminal record.
Held: 7 years jail.
“The issue in this sentencing is whether offenders who traffic in … fentanyl should face higher jail sentences than those who do so with the other common ‘hard’ drugs such as cocaine or heroin. In my view, the answer is yes.” Expert evidence established that fentanyl is 100 times more potent then morphine, and that there had been 152 fentanyl related deaths in Alberta within the first 6 months of 2016 alone.
P. Milczarek – Defence Counsel