A Gravenhurst man’s connection to a car-hopping incident ultimately led to his conviction of drug trafficking charges, a criminal court heard earlier this month.
During a virtual court hearing in Huntsville, Lucas Shea, 27, was convicted of possession for the purpose of trafficking on two different types of drugs, stemming from two separate incidents last year.
Court heard that on June 8 at roughly 2:30 p.m. a man parked his truck at a local hardware store. When he returned he found a number of things taken from his truck, including beer and his girlfriend’s purse.
After a tip from a member of the public, an intoxicated Shea was found by police with the stolen beer in his backpack. Although Shea had not broken into the truck himself, he was also found in possession of some 383 tablets of alprazolam (commonly known as Xanax). A subsequent search of his phone records turned up evidence of drug sales and police found a prohibited knife when he was brought to the station.
Things went from bad to worse on Sept. 25 when Huntsville police received a complaint at 4:15 p.m. about an erratic driver on Hwy 11. The car was pulled over and the passenger, Shea, was found to be in possession of 2.48 grams of fentanyl, 40 grams of marijuana, and $200 in cash.
Both the Crown and Judge Enno Meijers had serious concerns with the fentanyl trafficking, pointing out that it is likely the most deadly drug that one can purchase on the street.
However Judge Meijers also noted that Shea has entered counseling and is now back in school.
In the end he was sentenced to nine months house arrest and 12 months probation.
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