P.E.I. cocaine dealer gets 22-month jail sentence
STORY CONTINUES BELOW THESE SALTWIRE VIDEOS
Montreal artist transforms historic Windsor, N.S. constructing by way of mural mission | SaltWire
Watch on YouTube: “Montreal artist transforms historic Windsor, N.S. building via mural project | SaltWire”
CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. — A P.E.I. drug seller caught in Charlottetown greater than three years in the past with 160 grams of cocaine in his car has been sentenced to jail.
On Oct. 17 in provincial court docket in Charlottetown, Chief Choose Jeff Lantz sentenced Angus Arnold McKay, 49, to 22 months in jail for cocaine possession for trafficking functions and two years of probation.
McKay appeared in individual for sentencing. Federal Crown legal professional Jacob Zelman beforehand advisable 22-24 months in jail whereas McKay’s New Brunswick-based lawyer Mathieu Boutet sought a conditional sentence for his consumer.
Lantz defined that on this case, the defence request for a conditional sentence was inconsistent with the elemental ideas of sentencing of denunciation and deterrence. Though some denunciation and deterrence may be achieved via conditional sentences, jail is extra of a deterrent, stated Lantz. In McKay’s case, there have been no distinctive circumstances in comparison with different current drug circumstances when conditional sentences have been imposed.
“Conditional sentence orders would be the exception moderately than the rule,” the decide stated.
The drug cost had been scheduled for trial on June 26, however McKay as an alternative agreed to plead responsible.
The information
Based on the information beforehand learn in court docket by Zelman, in January 2020, the Prince District RCMP Joint Forces Operations (JFO) drug unit started an investigation into McKay for trafficking cocaine. Months in a while April 1, 2020, police obtained a warrant to trace McKay’s motion via his cellular phone. Monitoring knowledge confirmed that McKay was often visiting a North Bedeque man’s residence who was later arrested in Could 2020 for trafficking cocaine. The Prince County man McKay was visiting – John Sydney Hambly, now 65 – was sentenced on Feb. 4, 2021, to 30 months in jail for cocaine and methamphetamine possession for trafficking functions and different offences.
Police additionally had “confidential human supply data” that McKay was travelling often at night time from Summerside to Charlottetown to promote cocaine.
On June 11, 2020, police adopted McKay driving from Summerside to Charlottetown with a feminine passenger in a burgundy Lincoln. Police pulled over the car on Grafton Road at 1:05 a.m. Contained in the car, police discovered three cell telephones, 140 grams of cocaine divided into 4 baggage and one other 20 grams of cocaine situated within the car’s centre console. McKay additionally had $185 in money in his possession.
Search and seizure
Police searched McKay’s residence in Inverness, P.E.I., and located one other cellular phone, scales, rating sheets, money, a knife, a machete and extra small plastic baggage. MacKay and the feminine passenger have been arrested and charged with drug possession for trafficking functions.
At an Aug. 30 sentencing listening to, Boutet advised the court docket that McKay was promoting medicine to take care of his personal drug habit. Boutet additionally stated his consumer has been sober since December 2021.
‘Sharp, clear message’
In help of his sentence advice, Zelman referenced different drug circumstances and reminded the court docket in regards to the “loss of life, destruction and havoc” that trafficking in arduous medicine, like cocaine, can have every day on a group. Zelman additional famous that drug traffickers ought to be severely punished to discourage them and different individuals from collaborating on this “horrible, harmful enterprise” and the courts should proceed to ship a “sharp, clear message” to offenders and the group that “buying and selling on this horrendously addictive drug will end in harsh penalties.”
McKay’s felony report consists of prior convictions in 2004 the Managed Medication and Substances Act for drug possession for trafficking functions and manufacturing of a managed substance.
McKay’s matter first appeared in provincial court docket in 2020. After quite a few adjournments, on April 7, 2022, McKay elected to have the drug cost heard in P.E.I. Supreme Courtroom. McKay then re-elected to provincial court docket almost a yr in a while March 28, 2023.
The feminine co-accused died in August 2021 on the age of 44 whereas her drug cost was nonetheless earlier than the court docket.
Terrence McEachern is a justice reporter with SaltWire in Prince Edward Island. He may be reached by electronic mail at [email protected] and may be adopted on X @terry_mcn.
