Nicholas Gregory Baldwin

The appellant was found guilty of possession of fentanyl for the purpose of trafficking and possession of proceeds of crime.

The appeal challenged the reasonableness of the verdict, specifically the finding of constructive possession of fentanyl located in a backpack in the trunk of a car the appellant was driving.

The Court of Appeal dismissed the appeal, affirming that the trial judge's inference of guilt was reasonable, given the circumstantial evidence, the high value of the fentanyl, and the absence of an exculpatory explanation from the appellant.

Andrew Francis was charged with drug offences following a warranted search.

He brought a Garofoli application to quash the search warrant and exclude evidence, arguing a lack of reasonable grounds.

The court reviewed the Information to Obtain (ITO), including redacted confidential informer privilege information, and found sufficient credible and reliable evidence to support the warrant's issuance.

The application was dismissed, and no Section 8 Charter violation was found.

Brian Aguiar pleaded guilty to possession of cocaine for trafficking and unauthorized possession of a prohibited firearm.

Police found significant quantities of drugs and a Glock handgun in hidden compartments in vehicles registered to him.

The Crown sought a 9-year consecutive sentence, while the defence proposed a conditional sentence or a maximum of 3 years further imprisonment.

The court considered aggravating factors such as the sophisticated nature of the trafficking, the dangerous combination of drugs and a firearm, and greed as a motive.

Mitigating factors included the offender's difficult past, positive character references, and guilty pleas, which were particularly mitigating due to serious police violations of solicitor-client privilege during wiretap interceptions.

The court credited 397 days of pre-sentence custody at 2:1 due to harsh conditions, and also applied "Downes credit" for strict bail conditions.

The court imposed a global sentence of 5 years imprisonment for the cocaine conviction and 2 years concurrent for the firearm conviction, resulting in a net sentence of 950 days (approximately 2.6 years) from the date of sentencing, after accounting for pre-sentence custody and Downes credit.

The court declined a conditional sentence, emphasizing denunciation and general deterrence for the serious nature of the offences.