Trafficking of Fentanyl: the accused released pending trial

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Michael Nguyen

Monday, 21 August 2017 12:39

UPDATE
Monday, 21 August 2017 12:39

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Four of the five individuals arrested during an operation against smugglers of fentanyl were able to regain their freedom pending trial, this Monday, at the palais de justice of Montreal.

“These are individuals who do not have a criminal record and they had sufficient guarantees for the Crown to accept them back into the wild,” explained mr. Pascal Dostaler of the continuation after the brief hearing.

At the end of last week, the police of Montreal has struck a hard blow to the alleged drug traffickers, including fentanyl. This opioid 40 times more potent than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine has already been hundreds of death across Canada. Just in the past year, 550 people have died after consuming this drug, in Colombia-British.

“The sentences in this type of case are very important, this drug is associated with heroin, said to Me Dostaler. The maximum sentence is life in prison.”

Mathieu Quintal, Frederick Couture, Michel Rough Bujold and Jean-François Masson, all four, aged between 21 and 37 years, have in turn to parade in front of a judge Monday in order to be released pending their trial.

They have had to make deposits of money varying between 2000 $ and 5000 $, in addition to agreeing to submit to a curfew throughout the court process. They will also be prohibited from possessing weapons or devices of telecommunications, and they must not talk to any person criminalized.

The four individuals are all accused of possession of a narcotic for the purpose of trafficking. In some cases, the drug referred to is the fentanyl, but the police have also seized cocaine, heroin, hachich, methamphetamines and cannabis, according to Me Dostaler.

The quartet will return to court next month for the follow-up procedures.

Catherine Robitalle, a 24 year old woman also arrested, will be subject to its investigation released Tuesday. Maxime Samuel, a Montreal 30 years of age, is wanted under an arrest warrant.