A Bracebridge man was in court last week facing several years in prison after pleading guilty to a laundry list of charges including multiple counts of trafficking cocaine and fentanyl.
Last week Richard Robertson, 46, pleaded guilty to a range of charges including trafficking cocaine in October 2020, December 2020 and August 2022. He also pleaded guilty to other charges including violating court terms, driving while disqualified and failing to charge an ankle monitor.
Court heard that in an incident on Oct. 23 2020, the OPP and EMS were called to a home in Bracebridge where a woman was unconscious and suffering from a drug overdose. The police reported that when they arrived, they found Robertson and a female with no vital signs. Robertson appeared nervous and didn’t want the police going into his trailer, court heard. Eventually the police obtained a warrant to search the trailer and inside they found 130 grams of cocaine, 5.6 grams of crack cocaine and 144 hydromorphone pills.
The woman at the scene eventually succumbed to a fatal opioid overdose, but charges were never laid in relation to that death, court heard.
Just over a month later on December 2, 2020, the Muskoka Community Street Crime Unit OPP executed a search warrant at a hotel in Barrie with the assistance of the Barrie Police.
As a result, cocaine and fentanyl was seized and two persons were charged. One of the accused went into medical distress the next day and was admitted to hospital.
As a result, a total of approximately nine ounces of cocaine, 44 grams of fentanyl, and 145 hydromorphone pills were seized. The seizure had a value of between $31,250 and $55,650.
Robertson was released and given an ankle monitoring device pending a court date. As part of his release, Roberston agreed to keep the batteries on the ankle monitor charged, police heard. However, police were contacted some time later by the monitoring company and told the ankle monitor had run out of batteries. When police went to arrest Robertson they found a bag with 8 grams of cocaine and another bag of Percocet pills on the kitchen table.
Court heard that over the past several years Robertson has also been pulled over for speeding on multiple occasions while he was under court orders not to drive.
Court heard that Robertson has a criminal record that includes many entries for violating driving conditions.
The provincial crown asked for two years of prison time and a 10-year driving ban for the provincial offences. However there wasn’t time for submissions from the defence or the Federal Crown, who is expected to ask for several more years of time for the drug offences to be served consecutive to the two years for the provincial offences.
The sentencing was adjourned to Jan. 11, 2023.
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