Police find tin of fentanyl, cocaine, crystal meth. 36-year-old man goes to jail

When Georghe Bratu was being transported to the police station following his arrest in January 2018, officers noticed him fidgeting in the back seat of the cruiser.

After he was taken inside the Sault Ste. Marie Police Service building, the vehicle was searched and a tin container was discovered there, a judge heard Friday.

It contained narcotics - .62 grams of crystal meth, 2.18 grams of cocaine and .17 grams of fentanyl, federal prosecutor Ben Pritchard said.

Bratu, 36, pleaded guilty to possession of fentanyl, breach of probation, and breach of a recognizance in connection with the Jan. 7 incident.

He was sentenced to a 90-day intermittent sentence, which he will serve on weekends.

Ontario Court Justice Melanie Dunn was told police stopped a vehicle with tinted windows, and found Bratu in the passenger seat.

Police were aware that he was on bail with a curfew, and arrested him.

Defence lawyer Jennifer Tremblay-Hall said there were Charter of Rights issues, and as a result she and the Crown were jointly recommending the sentence.

"The amount is small and was for personal use," she said, adding her client is "trying to overcome substance abuse issues."

Pritchard said judicial pre-trials had indicated there were issues about the police traffic stop.

He told the court he was recommending 90 days for the narcotic offence because Bratu has a prior conviction and "the nature of the drug."

When she imposed the sentence, Dunn noted the lawyers had put much thought and consideration into the matter.

The sentence "recognizes the dangerous substance," the judge said.

Bratu received 15-day concurrent sentences for each of the other offences.

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