Sentencing set for coke trafficker
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A man who was found transporting cocaine from southern Ontario to Greater Sudbury in mid-2016 will now be sentenced Jan. 7.
The date for Christopher Weir, now 37, was set recently at the Sudbury Courthouse.
The accused has been out on bail concerning the incident, which occurred on June 17, 2016.
Back on Dec. 3, 2018, Weir pleaded guilty to a charge of possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking. The guilty plea averted a scheduled one-week judge and jury trial.
A pre-sentence report was not ordered to assist with sentencing.
Sentencing was to have occurred on several occasions in 2019, but was delayed due to serious health issues Weir is facing.
On Aug. 28, the last scheduled sentencing date, sentencing did not happen due to Weir being scheduled for hernia surgery.
Speaking outside the courthouse, Weir said he encountered complications from his earlier hernia surgery when Physiomesh — a type of partially absorbable surgical mesh for hernia repair — “made its way into my intestine.”
Weir said the product was recalled but the damage had already been done by the time he learned about this.
“Now I have another hernia in the same area, and this will be the fourth time I’ve been opened up,” he said.
In April, Weir was dealing with a serious vision issue and needed laser surgery, his lawyer Andrew Perrin told the court.
According to the agreed statement of facts in the case, the Greater Sudbury Police Drug Enforcement Unit received a tip in May of 2016 that Weir was involved in the distribution of cocaine in the city and an investigation was started.
On June 17, Weir headed south on Highway 69 in a 2011 Ford pickup and was followed by polic officers. Weir ended up at the Vaughn Mills mall.
Weir went into the Pickle Barrel restaurant, met with two men who provided him with a bag and then left. Weir was given a ride in another vehicle back to his parked vehicle. A short time later, he returned to the restaurant and met the two men.
Weir then returned to his vehicle and headed north on Highway 69, only stopping for gas on the trip.
Just before 7 p.m., police officers stopped Weir’s vehicle. A search turned up a sealed bag containing 1,000 grams of cocaine with an estimated street value of $50,000, along with $485 in cash and two cellphones.
Weir told police he was paid $500 to transport cocaine from Toronto to Greater Sudbury.
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